Perhaps in the current Vietnamese League of Legends (LoL) scene, there is no match as noteworthy as the showdown between SBTC Esports (SE) and GAM Esports (GAM). Specifically in the VCS Summer 2022, leading up to the confrontation on July 30, SE and GAM were at two completely opposite ends in a way that no one could have predicted. SE was one of the top two teams while GAM was under a lot of scrutiny.
However, during the rematch against SE in the VCS Summer 2022 group stage, GAM presented a very different face compared to their performance in the first round. In game 1, Dia1’s excellence helped SE secure a victory, but in games 2 and especially 3, GAM completely outclassed their opponent.
The SE players had some good moments, but individual mistakes, a difference in skill level, and GAM’s precise ban-pick strategy caused SE numerous difficulties before accepting defeat. With this victory, GAM matched SE on the scorecard, and more importantly, laid a good foundation for the important second round of matches.
The name most mentioned in SE’s loss to GAM was player Đỗ “DNK” Ngọc Khải. Recently, the Vietnamese LoL community was abuzz as they witnessed DNK’s sharp responses to fans. When some community opinions aimed to give him and the SE team constructive feedback, DNK reacted very harshly, as if he wanted to settle scores with the fans.
Additionally, DNK firmly asserted that SE would not let him be benched despite the presence of Spot, another talented jungler. It’s worth noting that Spot has also performed very well whenever given the chance, but in VCS Summer 2022, he has clearly fallen out of favor and remains a long-term substitute.
Because of such incidents, along with DNK’s poor performance in the recent matches against Team Secret (TS) and GAM, many SE fans have expressed that the team should replace DNK and give Spot a chance.
– “Give DNK a break for a few matches, because playing like this is really concerning.”
– “This season will be considered wasted if the coach doesn’t dare to replace DNK.”
– “Not letting Spot play means we will lose even to the bottom teams.”
– “As long as ‘Mr. DNK’ is still there, we will face prolonged defeats.”
Additionally, commentator Hoàng Luân was also “blamed”. Just before the match, commentator Hoàng Luân predicted that SE would win against GAM. Earlier, in the match between T1 and Gen.G Esports (Gen.G) on the afternoon of July 30 (Vietnam time), this commentator also stated that T1 would win Gen.G 2-0. The result was that T1 also suffered a defeat.
But whatever the reason, it is clear that SE has not been performing well in recent matches. However, since TS and GAM are both strong teams, SE’s defeat is by no means a disaster. Yet, this team needs to quickly learn from their mistakes if they still hope to compete for a spot in the VCS Summer playoffs this year.