Buzz
GAM's defeat will linger, at least until they face R7.
In their recent World Championship 2023 debut against LOUD in the Play-In stage, GAM Esports faced a complete defeat. Even in the second match, holding numerous advantages, the black and gold squad from VCS couldn't capitalize to equalize. From individual mistakes to team errors, coupled with the outstanding performance of Brazil's representatives, it's evident they deserved the victory over GAM.
Witnessing GAM's performance, the VCS community undoubtedly shares a sense of disappointment. This marks the second consecutive time, specifically GAM, has lost to a team from the wildcard region - an area usually considered on par or below VCS. Notably, unlike Movistar R7, this time GAM suffered a whitewash in both matches. Furthermore, despite personnel changes, especially the addition of Slayder and Palette in the Summer 2023 season, this duo performed suboptimally in the match against LLL.
Regarding GAM's performance at Worlds 2023, there's still hope with a match against R7 in the loser's bracket. However, on the day of GAM's defeat, Teacher Ba posted on social media: 'At this rate, next year there might only be 1 Play-In slot.' Clearly, Riot is unlikely to retract VCS's two slots, but VCS teams are currently showing a less impressive performance compared to regions with only 1 slot, such as CBLOL. This undesirable scenario is also a concern for fans in the region.
In addition, there are discussions about SofM, hoping that the 'Vietnamese Jungle God' could support GAM as he is currently in Korea. However, this seems unlikely as SofM, if willing, can only communicate or encourage (via direct messaging) and cannot deeply intervene in GAM or Team Whales' internal affairs.
GAM must exert self-effort to salvage their fate at Worlds 2023 and regain the fans' trust. While not impossible, it's undeniably an arduous task, especially after R7's previous victory over the new VCS representative at MSI 2023.
