On the afternoon of April 27th at VNG Campus, District 7 (Ho Chi Minh City), the opening ceremony of the team GAM Esports in the game League of Legends (LoL) took place. This ceremony was organized by GAM in collaboration with sponsors to prepare for the upcoming MSI 2023 journey in London, United Kingdom.
In the VCS Spring 2023 season, GAM demonstrated outstanding strength by winning the championship with a perfect record (17 wins – 0 losses). This marks GAM’s 8th trophy and also the third consecutive time the team has stepped onto the highest podium in the domestic arena. This achievement is considered unprecedented in the history of Vietnamese League of Legends.
Thanks to the VCS Spring 2023 championship, GAM has become Vietnam’s representative at MSI 2023, a tournament gathering the strongest League of Legends teams in the world. Here, the reigning VCS champion is grouped in Group A during the play-in stage with Golden Guardians (North American runner-up), Bilibili Gaming (Chinese runner-up), and Rainbow7 (Latin American champion).
According to many opinions, this matchup is quite difficult for GAM. In a series of BO3 matches, the likelihood of GAM achieving a miracle like their match against Top Esports at Worlds 2022 is possible but quite low. The most optimistic fans perhaps only hope GAM can defeat GG and secure at least one win against BLG (if they meet).
Coach Hankay shared: “GAM won the VCS finals against SBTC Esports quite easily thanks to our preparation and playing to our full potential. In this MSI, we will prepare even more, both in terms of expertise and physical and mental strength. We are confident of victory. We are confident this is the strongest version of GAM ever.”
CEO TK Nguyễn also expressed high hopes: “I am very confident because the team has gained a lot of experience from the 2022 World Championship. The whole team has developed and improved in many aspects. I know many people underestimate Vietnamese players, and I believe GAM will make it to the top 6, even the top 4. GAM already possesses the skills, and we have prepared extensively in terms of mentality and confidence.”
As for the players, Levi appeared more cautious: “At MSI 2017, GAM was an unknown factor. Opponents did not know anything about us. Thanks to that, we made a splash, and teams around the world paid more attention. Now, they are much stronger and will prepare more strategies to face GAM. Therefore, this will be a much more challenging MSI.”
GAM’s journey at MSI 2023 will undoubtedly be fraught with difficulties. However, with the support of local fans and the efforts of the entire team, there is every reason to believe that GAM will once again bring surprises to the international League of Legends scene in their first return to MSI after a long absence.