On April 23, the grand final of the VCS Spring 2023 officially took place between GAM Esports and SBTC Esports. Not only was it a match between two “arch-rivals”, but both GAM and SE were determined to clinch the championship for a spot at MSI and to assert their absolute dominance in the VCS. This was also SE’s first final since the “Pink Chicken” emerged in the Vietnamese LoL scene.
However, instead of a tense match like the winners’ bracket final between the two teams, GAM showcased a completely different face. They accepted Sty1e to play weaker compared to Slayder on the SE side. But in return, the other four members of GAM performed exceptionally well. In fact, on a day of brilliance, Support Zin was the member with as many kills as any of GAM’s carries. If they had played more carefully, the match score could have been 3-0 for GAM.
GAM’s victory has split the community into different opinions. One side celebrates as the yellow-black team successfully defends their championship, also achieving victory over SE. Others believe Sty1e still needs to improve significantly. After all, the MSI battlefield will be much more intense, and the ADCs here certainly won’t make as many mistakes for GAM to exploit.
On the other hand, quite a few viewers jokingly suggested that there needs to be an “investigation” into Game 3. In this game, GAM displayed a completely different face compared to their three winning games. They even brought out some experimental champion picks like Taliyah in Kati’s hands as an example. Of course, these are just some light-hearted comments, as SE clearly performed better in that match.
– “GAM is too good, SE is still the same, banned their key champions and they lose right away”
– “Slayder wins the lane, Sty1e wins the match”
– “Sty1e needs to improve a lot, genuinely worried for GAM but let’s celebrate for now”
– “Someone investigate Game 3 because I didn’t recognize GAM in that game”
– “So SE is just ‘chickens’ for GAM to feast on whenever they want?” (SE’s nickname is ‘Pink Chicken’).
Additionally, when Riot’s official Twitter account congratulated GAM, many international viewers sent their best wishes to GAM for MSI 2023. Some even reposted the clip of GAM defeating Top Esports – Knight’s former team (Knight will participate in MSI 2023 with JD Gaming). Furthermore, G2 also sent a ‘challenge’ stating: “We were 1-1 in 2017, it’s time to decide.”
GAM’s victory is absolutely deserved, and SE’s efforts are commendable as they have come a long way. Currently, the GAM players will have time to rest before heading to London for their journey in MSI 2023.