At VCS Summer 2022, one of the teams that has shown the most impressive performance is undoubtedly SBTC Esports (SE). The team, nicknamed “Pink Chicken”, has completely transformed compared to previous seasons even though they only changed the Mid Lane position as Dia1 returned after his suspension. But looking at how SE plays, no one could tell this is the team that almost had to fight in the promotion playoffs back in Spring 2022.
With an unbeaten streak that reached 4 games, SE has shown an extremely impressive face. Among SE’s “defeated foes” are both the reigning VCS champions – GAM Esports and the Spring 2022 VCS runners-up, Saigon Buffalo. Many fans of SE even believe that the team can compete for the championship in this Summer tournament while also securing a spot at the 2022 World Championship.
However, Team Whales (TW), formerly known as Luxury Esports, brought SE back to reality. In the match on July 21, TW staged a comeback to defeat SE. Not only did they hand the “Pink Chicken” their first loss, but TW also exposed weaknesses in SE’s draft phase and the players’ complacency when facing a team considered weaker.
The VCS community certainly didn’t miss the opportunity to poke fun at SE. After their previous victories, this team had become overly confident, and in reality, it was this underestimation that led to SE’s defeat against TW, a team that had been performing poorly.
– “Such losses are necessary for the team to calm down. Winning can lead to overconfidence.”
– “Having such a significant early game advantage and still being too complacent means losing is deserved.”
– “Knowing the opponent’s jungle player is good at Lee Sin but letting him pick it is just asking to lose.”
– “In Game 3, the movements were too flawed. Getting caught out means losing the objective immediately.”
Additionally, the “spiritual” factor was also mentioned. Before the third week of VCS Summer 2022, commentator Hoang Luan asserted that SE would extend their winning streak. And in the end, reality proved that the predictions of “Wizard” Hoang Luan remain as strong as ever, and SE could not resist this “curse”.
– “After all, ‘Wizard’ Pelu (the nickname given to commentator Hoang Luan by the community) remains top-notch.”
– “Deserving of the title ‘Wizard’.”
– “This week is surely going to be a blank slate.”
Of course, the VCS community was just joking when mentioning commentator Hoang Luan. Because TW played clearly better, and with SE’s overconfidence, they deserved this defeat. According to some fans of the team, this loss will help SE players understand where they stand and strive harder for the rest of VCS Summer this year.