Yesterday afternoon (May 27), the mid-season friendly tournament PCSxVCS officially kicked off with the 4 teams competing in all 3 matches of the group stage’s first round. The outcome was not promising for GAM Esports as the black-gold team suffered 3 consecutive losses and ranked at the bottom of the leaderboard.
Of course, people can argue that this is a friendly tournament, meant for fun and not focused on results, with a new lineup getting accustomed… but the fact that this team played so poorly is what leaves people dissatisfied. Despite losing Palette and Zeros, the remaining members are still quality players, making it hard to accept such a dismal performance from GAM.
Therefore, after yesterday’s matches, the general feeling among Vietnamese League of Legends fans towards GAM Esports is disappointment, with some even mocking that “Without Sena, GAM Esports is just a name.”
The professional League of Legends world is very different from other esports as the opportunities for teams to compete internationally are very limited, with only MSI and Worlds each year. This year, with MSI 2020 canceled, the PCSxVCS friendly tournaments are an excellent opportunity for teams to compete, so there’s no way GAM Esports is not taking this tournament seriously or treating it lightly. Losing to 2 representatives from PCS and Team Flash on the first day simply means they are currently weaker than their opponents.
What made GAM Esports excel in international tournaments in the past largely came from their unique strategies and comfort picks that gave them an advantage. These do not come naturally; they are crafted by the coaching staff, specifically Coach Tinikun, who has helped this team achieve high results in the past. Losing a key figure like Tinikun behind the scenes, GAM Esports has completely lost its direction.
With 3 consecutive defeats in the first round, it is hard to believe that GAM Esports can turn things around and secure a spot in the playoffs after just one day. Perhaps this team needs quite a bit of time to find a way to fill the gaps left by their predecessors, especially in the coaching position. As for “Principal” Sena, he can just stay put at SBTC for now.