GAM’s loss in the Swiss round of the 2024 World Championship was not unexpected
Going into the match against FlyQuest, many VCS fans were still hoping that GAM Esports could secure a victory just like they did against Team Liquid last year. The LCS representative was also the “easiest” opponent among the four teams in Pool 1 that GAM had to face as a Pool 4 team. However, that beautiful scenario did not happen. FlyQuest won the match smoothly and efficiently while GAM didn’t even have any significant response.
After the Swiss round match, GAM suffered a 0-1 defeat and now finds themselves in the danger zone with names like Fnatic, Weibo Gaming, and even T1 waiting ahead.
GAM’s defeat due to their own strength
After the conclusion of the Play-In stage of the 2024 World Championship, Riot announced the Top 5 players with the best KDA, and surprisingly, GAM occupied two positions, with Kiaya at rank 1 and Levi at rank 4. This clearly reflects how GAM performed perfectly in the Play-In stage. It also highlights GAM’s playstyle: whether through scientific macro or aggressive play, GAM’s key players remain Kiaya and Levi. Although Emo also played damage champions, his Yone or Tristana served more as a “secondary damage dealer” rather than a main carry alongside Kiaya.
Thus, GAM also signaled to their opponents that they would focus on Kiaya and Levi as their main carries. In the recent matchup, FlyQuest punished GAM’s signature playstyle very simply: they chose a Top laner who, despite being killed multiple times, still did not lose lane (Sion) + a Jungle champion who farmed faster than Levi (Ivern) and eventually roamed the map.
Sion allowed FlyQuest to execute an effective roaming strategy, nullifying Kiaya’s power. Orianna continuously pushed the lane, preventing Levi from assisting Emo in the Mid lane. Coupled with Ivern’s speedy farming, Levi lost control of his jungle. All of this combined resulted in the familiar Kiaya – Levi combo being easily disrupted right after the draft phase.
In reality, while GAM was assessed as a team they could defeat FlyQuest, this loss did not surprise many. FlyQuest still belongs to the Major region and they do not often “choke” like TL. Moreover, they are the reigning LCS champions, and regardless of their performance, they remain the champions of a Major region. Therefore, GAM’s defeat was within expectations, and the VCS representative can only strive in upcoming matches to maintain hope for a deeper run in the 2024 World Championship.