It can be said that Team Whales, previously not much noticed ahead of the 2023 World Championship (Worlds) as they entered as the second seed, has now risen to become the “VCS last hope.” Particularly, TW also holds the record for the most comebacks in the Play-In stage of Worlds 2023. They are an intriguing wildcard that even the international League of Legends community has praised.
Among them, the significant contributions of the trio BeanJ – Gloryy – Artemis cannot be overlooked. Notably, while Gloryy has excelled in making plays, BeanJ and Artemis have truly shown remarkable maturity and composure. Especially, while BeanJ has had his time battling on the international stage of League of Legends, this is Artemis‘ first taste of the Worlds atmosphere. Yet, the ADC of TW is currently seen as the standout player in his position.
Recently, in the post-match interview after defeating CBTC Flying Oyster, Artemis shared: “Currently, the team’s mood is very happy, as we won in a thrilling match until the last minute. However, there are still many strong opponents ahead and we still have many mistakes to correct. The recent loss at VCS when TW was missing Bie and CBL had only just started practicing with the team was clearly an accident and made our strategy unbalanced. But right now, we are in great form.”
Artemis’s statements hold merit as it is clear that TW did not have 100% personnel at their peak form during the VCS finals. Nevertheless, they made GAM sweat to secure their victory. However, at this moment, even if there is a “VCS derby” at Worlds 2023, GAM is not rated as highly as TW.
Besides being on the cusp of advancing to the Swiss round of Worlds 2023, TW is also regarded by many as the “dark horse” of the Play-In stage. However, they must not be complacent, especially since TW only has one more match left to secure their advancement or face elimination.