On the morning of May 29th, VIRESA (Vietnam Electronic Sports Entertainment Association) announced the official lineup of Vietnam’s League of Legends (LoL) team for the ASIAD. Accordingly, the final two names are the Mid Lane duo of Gloryy and Dia1. Thus, the lineup of the Vietnamese LoL team for the upcoming ASIAD will be: Kiaya, Levi, Gloryy, Dia1, Slayder, and Palette.
The stability of Kiaya, Gloryy, and Slayder has been clearly demonstrated in the VCS Spring Season just past (especially for Kiaya, who also competed in MSI 2023). Even when their team faced difficulties, these were the players who consistently performed the best. Kiaya, in particular, has received high praise from international experts despite GAM Esports (GAM) having one of the most forgettable MSI seasons in VCS history.
The international competition experience of SofM, Levi, and Palette is a valuable asset for this lineup. If we look back, Palette performed very well while playing for Saigon Buffalo and GAM. Throughout his competitive journey, especially from 2020 onwards, Palette has participated in events from MSI to the World Championship. As for Levi, there is no need to argue further as he is one of the most experienced and resilient players that VCS can produce today.
However, when it comes to VCS and LoL in Vietnam, the element of surprise and the ability to create breakthroughs are the most important. In the recent MSI 2023, with GAM being too familiar to the international audience, the surprise factor was diminished. But with a creative coach like SofM, who has experience from his days as a player, fans have grounds to expect some “unusual” strategies that catch opponents off guard.
Nevertheless, just having the ability to create surprises is not enough. Aside from teams from the LCK or LPL, the Vietnamese LoL team can completely aim for a bronze medal. However, it should be noted that there are still countries in Asia with strong LoL backgrounds, such as Japan and Taiwan. This region also gathers many strong players who are competing in top international tournaments. Therefore, VCS fans hope that SofM and the players will devise truly effective strategies and make enough effort to achieve success at this ASIAD.
The element of surprise has long been a hallmark of VCS, but merely causing surprises is only acceptable in tournaments like MSI or Worlds. At ASIAD, representing the colors of Vietnam, SofM and his students must achieve much more to assert the position of Vietnam’s LoL scene and meet the expectations of the fans.