February 23rd (Vietnam time) will likely be a very special day for Vietnamese League of Legends fans. After days of disappointment, OKSavingsBank BRION ended their losing streak at the LCK Spring 2024. Even more astonishingly, the team they defeated was Kwangdong Freecs – a team considered the “dark horse” of the tournament. But more notably, at VCS Spring 2024, after a long undefeated run, GAM Esports was “shut down” with an unbelievable score of 0-2 against Team Secret. And as many know, TS is the former team of coach Archie, who just returned to the black and gold colors this season.
Of course, it’s difficult for any team to maintain an undefeated streak as long as T1 or even GAM once did in the past. Moreover, this is still only close to halfway through VCS Spring 2024, so everything remains under control. However, GAM’s loss exposed many issues, one of which, pointed out by viewers and has persisted for a long time: GAM has never really paid enough attention to the bot lane, often skewing heavily towards the top side with the stable performance of Kiaya and Levi.
In reality, GAM currently has the best top lane in VCS, which is beyond debate. Moreover, in this season, the ADC role has been significantly “nerfed” by Riot. However, all the top teams in the world right now (T1, Gen.G, JD Gaming) have very stable bot lanes. Even in VCS, the teams that are and will be able to challenge GAM (Team Whales, Team Secret, Vikings Esports) all have solid bot lanes, especially in the ADC position.
But that’s what GAM lacks, making the gameplay of the VCS champions appear “one-dimensional”. Even without being an expert, it’s clear that GAM will funnel resources to the top lane, leaving other positions at a disadvantage. This makes it too easy for equally skilled teams to counter them. A prime example is TS in the recent match. “The Hidden Clan” maximized the exploitation of other lanes, accepting that Hiro02 would be at a disadvantage compared to Kiaya. However, by the end of the game, Hiro02, despite having a poor KDA, was still effective in pushing the lane. Meanwhile, no matter how much care Kiaya received, it was difficult to bridge the gap from other lanes, especially in the bot lane.
Moreover, in the recent match against TS, the reigning VCS champions had champions that were clearly weaker than their opponents. Lucian was too easily countered, while in game 1, TS picked Aphelios, a very strong late-game champion. In game 2, Kalista was a champion that could pressure the opponent very early and could fight well even without many items.
In the current meta as well as GAM’s historical playstyle, funneling resources to the top lane is entirely correct. But the issue lies in the fact that GAM does not have a bot lane capable of maintaining a balance or keeping the differences under control. Therefore, no matter how good Kiaya or Levi are, if they face opponents of equal caliber like TS, winning will be extremely difficult.