Before entering the VCS Spring 2023, SBTC Esports (SE) was one of the most anticipated teams. This is not surprising at all, but this Spring, SE has become even stronger as they have recruited the duo of Coach Ren and Marksman Slayder. Both of these individuals have a commonality: they have previously won the VCS championship, and SE’s goal is nothing less than the championship.
However, all that remains in the minds of fans when mentioning SE this season are… social media posts, behind-the-scenes clips where Dia1 seems unfocused during team discussions, and of course, images of Coach Ren meeting privately with Dia1 after their loss to Team Secret. This is certainly not what SE fans expected, especially when they currently have the most robust coaching staff in VCS as well as a highly skilled roster.
Nonetheless, this is exactly why the name SE has become very attractive. According to statistics from the specialized site Esports Chart, SE is the team that owns the 5 most-watched matches in VCS Spring 2023 so far. Among these, the match between SE and GAM Esports (GAM) recorded the highest viewership – 107,036 viewers at its peak.
Of course, for a team that knows how to attract attention (both positive and negative) like SE, this figure is quite understandable. Not to mention, the SE collective is also one of the teams with the highest fanbase in VCS currently. Additionally, there are also quite a few anti-fans of this team who tune in to be ready to criticize whenever SE faces defeat.
Of course, a team that can only be famous for its… content creation team is not ideal at all. SE recently secured an important victory against Team Whales to regain momentum after being defeated by TS earlier. While it cannot be said that SE has fully revived, perhaps the large coaching staff of this team will need to prepare more thoroughly for the players. Good results will not only help SE improve their ranking but also help the team escape the label of “more skilled in content creation than in competition.”