Perhaps, there has never been a World Championship (Worlds) where VCS representatives faced so many strong opponents as in Worlds 2023. Excluding the matches in the Play-In stage, since the start of the Swiss stage, GAM Esports has faced 2 LCK teams, one of which is the top championship contender – Gen.G. Following that, they encountered the LEC runner-up and the third seed from the LCS. Coming up next, their opponent – Dplus KIA is the fourth seed from the LCK. Notably, DK also has 3 players who have previously won the Worlds – Canyon, ShowMaker, and Deft.
However, GAM also has certain advantages. First, their mindset is that they have nothing to lose, so they just need to give their all. Next, their form and spirit are on the rise after the victory against Team Liquid. And one very important factor: Slayder has impressive statistics at Worlds 2023. Specifically, according to the statistics, in the match against Team Liquid, Slayder achieved a creep score/minute of 12.3 (426 creeps/34 minutes 36 seconds) – a record set during game 3 against TL.
Notably, this is also a record for all other matches in the Swiss round of Worlds 2023 up to this point. Thus, it can be understood that Slayder is achieving a farming statistic more impressive than those of top “wave clear” superstars like Chovy, Ruler, or Gumayusi, Faker. Especially, this achievement of Slayder was established in a match against a third seed team from a Major region. Although Team Liquid may be considered the weakest among the 4 teams that GAM has faced and will face in the Swiss round, Slayder’s performance is still commendable.
However, as mentioned, this statistic of Slayder is still lower than Artemis, as the Team Whales player set a record of 12.7 creep score/minute (389 creeps/30 minutes 42 seconds) in game 2 against CBTC Flying Oyster in the Play-In stage.
Facing Slayder in the upcoming match will be Deft – the most veteran AD carry in League of Legends today and the reigning champion of Worlds 2022. It is highly likely that the performance of these two superstars will indeed determine the fate of the match. Especially since both DK and GAM are very eager for victory to continue nurturing hopes at this year’s Worlds.