According to GAM Esports Director Khánh Hiệp Izumin, one of the reasons Levi is planning to part ways with GAM Esports is his desire to seek new challenges in his career, specifically the wish to “go abroad” once again to compete in larger tournaments.
So let’s take a look at a few possible options if Levi is looking for a new destination in case his contract with GAM Esports officially ends:
LCS
Levi previously had time playing in North America under the 100 Thieves roster; however, he was not utilized in the main lineup of this team and only competed in the Academy tournament. In terms of skill level, Levi is considered a player capable of competing for a starting position in the LCS, but it would be quite difficult for him to break into teams vying for a spot at Worlds (TSM, TL, C9, or even 100T…).
The historical results between LCS and VCS have led many Vietnamese fans to believe that the skill levels of the two leagues are quite close, with VCS still trailing behind LCS, but the gap is not significant. This may be true if only considering pure skill and technical factors. However, in reality, VCS still lags far behind LCS in terms of tournament organization, player treatment, and a structured development pathway in the professional esports system.
It’s quite evident that LCS always attracts big-name stars in the global League of Legends scene, despite their poor performance. This is due to the tournament’s reputation, financial backing, and professionalism. Therefore, it will be quite challenging for Levi to find a spot in the LCS if he returns to North America.
LEC
The European League of Legends tournament is even a more challenging test if Levi considers going abroad. However, unlike the LCS, LEC teams highly value players who can adapt to the continuous changes in the meta game and emphasize creativity in gameplay like Levi.
Similar to the LCS case, Levi may still have a chance if he joins a mid-tier team in Europe, such as Astralis, but if he aims to go abroad to compete at Worlds with EU or NA teams, that seems… impossible.
PCS
After two years of being overshadowed by the rise of VCS, PCS is gradually regaining its position on the international stage. With PSG Talon finishing MSI 2021 in the top 4 overall, the Pacific region is showing a strong resurgence (even though the key players are still the same old names).
The geographical factor (close to Vietnam) and the almost equivalent skill levels between VCS and PCS will be a consideration for Levi to join this league. Joining PSG Talon might be a bit tough, but joining competitive teams like J Team is entirely possible.
Staying at GAM Esports
Director Izumin recently affirmed that GAM has not given up on Levi and is continuing discussions to open up opportunities to retain this player. However, the reality is that once a player has been notified about the possibility of transfer even before their contract ends, the likelihood of them staying with the old team is very low.
Levi himself has also tweeted to discuss transfer issues with several other teams, so the chance of Levi staying at GAM is very slim.
Cerberus Esports/SBTC Esports
According to insider movements, Levi is certainly prioritizing going abroad to compete. However, if that is not feasible, joining another team in VCS is a given.
Currently, when considering the top 4 teams, TS still has DNK, SGB is fully trusting BeanJ, leaving only CES with sufficient potential and reason to recruit Levi. However, this also depends on how Quái Khuyển will approach building their roster in the future. They may choose to recruit Levi to upgrade the roster and add “championship DNA” to realize their ambition of winning VCS. Alternatively, they could continue to place full trust in XuHao and EGO.
Another candidate is SBTC Esports. Compared to the aforementioned four teams, SE lacks the achievements and financial strength to compete for Levi. However, the VCS jungler himself has a great relationship with Thầy Giáo Ba, Dia1, Zeros, and many other SE members. According to sources from GameK, many star players have accepted pay cuts to join SBTC Esports since the team was founded, and it’s possible that Levi might do the same if SE truly demonstrates their “ambition”.