One of the crucial changes that helped Team Flash transform from a strong team into the VCS Spring 2020 champions was the addition of Yoshino. While Stark held down the top lane during the playoffs, Yoshino was an incredibly important player throughout the group stage, solving the age-old problem for this team known as “Slayder dependency syndrome.”
Yoshino’s proactive and decisive style has helped Team Flash achieve a more balanced lineup, no longer relying on their marksman to shine, allowing them multiple approaches to the game and significantly improving their win rate. However, in this VCS Summer 2020, Stark is again the starting player in the group stage, and the results are evident as they find themselves in the middle of the standings.
Indeed, while the “emperor” has experience, it is not enough to secure Team Flash a dominant position. Team Flash has reverted to their “Slayder dependency syndrome,” and in the current meta, going all-in for a marksman position is extremely risky.
Regarding personnel, Team Flash’s schedule over the next two weeks is filled with traps. Today, they will face GAM Esports, a team that has been performing exceptionally well lately. The current state of the two teams is like oil and water; Team Flash has two solo lanes focusing on defense, while GAM Esports has two aggressive positions in the top and mid lanes.
As mentioned earlier, in a meta that relies heavily on marksmen, having weaker solo lanes than your opponent makes it very difficult for Team Flash to defeat GAM Esports. Perhaps the hope for this team lies in Yoshino’s return, Stark unexpectedly shining and “losing himself,” or Slayder having to play at a world-class level.
As for the other opponents, Team Secret is a formidable name for the defending champions, resembling a different version of GAM; their solo lanes are performing increasingly well, and the marksman Celebrity remains very stable. Newcomers like OPG or Percent Esports should not be underestimated, as Team Flash lost to Percent in the first round.
If Team Flash continues to maintain their current lineup and playstyle, they will likely still qualify for the VCS Summer 2020 playoffs. However, with traditional rivals like GAM Esports and Team Secret maintaining their strength, and Cerberus suddenly emerging as a “new final boss,” as well as the newly promoted teams posing significant threats, the time for Team Flash to hold onto their VCS championship title may be running out.