Only a few hours remain until the first matches of MSI 2023 officially kick off. For the Vietnamese League of Legends (LoL) fans, this will be one of the most special editions of MSI. This is the first international tournament that VCS teams participate in after returning to direct management by Riot. Next, MSI 2023 has seen many changes in its competition format. Finally, GAM Esports (GAM) has returned after a long absence.
Of course, the change in competition format means that GAM is anticipated to face many challenges. The reason is that the VCS representative will have to confront Bilibili Gaming (BLG) – the runner-up of the LPL Spring 2023, and Golden Guardians – the runner-up of the LCS. Both are very strong representatives, and GAM should not underestimate them. Not to mention, Movistar R7 also completely harbors the potential to cause surprises.
For the international LoL community, representatives from VCS always bring surprising and exciting matches, even though over time, teams have studied VCS quite thoroughly. Just look back to the 2022 World Championship, where GAM defeated Top Esports in the Group Stage. This defeat significantly contributed to the runner-up of the LPL Summer 2022 being eliminated after the Group Stage.
Recently, the defending champion of Worlds 2022 – Pyosik has expressed his faith in GAM at MSI 2023. In a clip interviewing the players of Team Liquid about their choices for teams to advance from the Play-In stage, Pyosik is the only player who believes in GAM: “First, I choose GAM to advance past the Play-In stage. They are very strong and they helped us (DRX) defeat TES last year. Next, I choose G2 Esports (G2). As for the third team, I think any name will do.”
In fact, if last year TES had won against GAM in the return match of the Group Stage, they could have had a tie-break opportunity and a chance to advance. But it was the loss to GAM that made TES lose the chance to decide their own fate. TES’s defeat also helped DRX top the group, paving the way for this team’s miraculous journey in the US.
Therefore, it is entirely understandable that Pyosik puts his faith in GAM. As someone who has once achieved a miracle alongside his DRX teammates, Pyosik understands that in LoL, anything can happen if players are determined and put in the effort.