GAM’s Familiar Playstyle Backfires
Perhaps in the professional League of Legends scene, few teams can “lock in” a playstyle day in and day out like GAM Esports and still win domestic championships. There’s no need for analysis or commentary from experts; even the audience can clearly see that since the emergence of talented top laners (Zeros, Kiaya), GAM has primarily focused on the Jungle – Top Lane duo, regardless of how talented their AD Carries or Mid Laners are.
The recent loss to MVKE isn’t the first time GAM’s playstyle has become a weakness. In reality, while Kiaya is still very skilled, he is not the “undisputed champion” of the APAC League of Legends scene. Moreover, with a roaming playstyle, top laners sometimes have to accept disadvantages to empower other lanes. Yet even when Kiaya uses weaker champions, GAM continues to funnel resources into him. This overly predictable playstyle was glaringly exposed on the day Kratos had an explosive performance.
On various League of Legends forums in Vietnam, many viewers have expressed confusion over GAM’s continual funneling of resources into Kiaya, even though Artemis has shown excellent team-carrying ability. And on a day when Kiaya underperformed, GAM suffered a weak defeat. GAM even allowed Kiaya to play Nidalee—a champion that is very difficult to operate in the Top Lane against Sion—where it was almost certain that Nidalee wouldn’t have much impact. Of course, this might have been just a “champion test” for Kiaya, but in Game 3 with Camille, he also faced a devastating loss to his opponent, which is quite concerning.
GAM Might Need a Real Change
Currently, GAM is facing many difficulties at the 2025 Mid-Season Cup, but more importantly, it seems Levi and Kiaya have reached their limits. Perhaps the GAM coaching staff is aware of the issues, but whether they will change the situation remains uncertain. Of course, GAM is still likely to make the playoffs, as they currently sit in a safe position. However, if they continue to perform as they have, the possibility of GAM staying home during MSI 2025 is very high.