Back at it again with another article! This is only a portion of a full article on the APAC-S LCQ, as the storylines are the fun part going into the event. If you’d like to read it all, feel free to read it on Medium.
Will Bleed finally make it after tough losses in both Knockouts?
Bleed are finally hoping to turn the tide and make their long awaited qualification into an international event. Their high-profile players of Jacob “pyth” Mourujärvi & Maxie “maxie” Lönström both are looking to show excellence once again following strong performances in APAC, yet small mistakes across the board plague BLEED time after time again, resulting in the closest of margins leading to harsh losses.
In addition, BLEED also want to prove that they can contend alongside Paper Rex and show as to why SG/MY is the best region within APAC, and not just a one team show. The losses of LEXY & Eno send them back to the drawing board, and with brand new people on the team to help support one another, it might just be what BLEED need to finally cross the final step after all this time.
Will ONIC G, BOOM Esports, & Alter Ego finally place Indonesia on the map?
To say the very least, Indonesia in VALORANT has had a lot of hype living up to their name. And why shouldn’t they? Paper Rex has the prestigious Indonesian players of mindfreak and APAC’s prodigy himself, f0rsakeN.
Yet, the hype and skill of the Indonesian players, while absolutely not to be doubted, their teams as a whole face struggles at the final hurdle each time. And these struggles lead to tough losses whenever needed the most, as seen within matches such as ONIC G vs. XERXIA (in both stages) or Team Secret, Alter Ego vs. Paper Rex, the list goes on and on.
One term can be used to represent Indonesia; “So close, yet so far.”
Three Indonesian representatives take up the APAC-S LCQ, three chances for Indonesia to potentially make it to champions. Last time, all three Indonesian teams made it to Knockouts, but only one made it to the top 4.
Are the big teams the only hurdle keeping Indonesia away from greatness, or is it doomed to be another close missed chance for the country’s representatives?
Will Team Secret return to Champions after a rough 2022 season?
Team Secret are renowned within APAC for being the embodiment of age not affecting skill. In Champions last year, they were on average the oldest team in the tournament, with Jayvee “DubsteP” Panganiban being the oldest primary duelist in the event. Yet they still managed to place top 8, making it to the playoffs in the biggest event VALORANT has had so far.
In the time that followed, Team Secret has faced their fair share of struggles. They are also well known for their tendencies to take losses domestically within the Philippines, particularly showing within Stage 1 of this year, with 5 losses in the split; and ending dead last in Philippine playoffs.
A third place finish however, and a return in form in stage 2, luckily netted Team Secret more than enough circuit points to make it to the LCQ, but losses to the titans of APAC sadly lost them the chance to make Masters.
Team Secret are back with blood. And they want to return to the big stage, possibly continuing their title as one of the only teams to make Champions without ever attending Masters.
They are one of, if not the only major team in the VCT to be running a consistent 6-man roster at the current moment. The LCQ will test once more whether 6-man rosters can actually be viable in a game such as VALORANT. But will the LCQ fare Secret well? And will the 6-man actually lead to their success, or is it only a bluff?
Will MiTH be the one to bring glory back to Thailand in APAC?
Thailand is known for being a juggernaut across several esports titles. The successes of XERXIA & X10 CRIT prove that to be true within VALORANT as well, however the region has looked rocky as of late, showing especially in Stage 2 with only FW Esports taking a map outside of XERXIA for the region.
MiTH is the only Thai representative heading into the LCQ, and they have a heavy burden on their shoulders, a burden to prove whether or not there’s more to their region than just XERXIA. The long-standing name of MiTH wants to prove their worth as well, and the LCQ will be a testament to this.
How will Vietnam fare in the LCQ compared to their competition, and are they the underdogs?
Two teams from Vietnam will be playing within the LCQ. Yet, no one seems to place their eye on either team. Could it be that they’re just not known? That they have no expectations? The story changes for everyone who looks down upon either team, yet both Fancy United and CERBERUS both have something to prove, and they want to prove it.
Fancy United was already known as the underdogs back in Stage 2 of Vietnam Challengers, with an insane lower bracket run to be the eventual winners of the whole tournament. They’re not a team to be underestimated at the very least, as they’ve shown what they can accomplish by taking a map off of the highest seeded team in BLEED & the Thai org of FW Esports, plus wins over Global Esports and Griffin-Esports throughout the 2022 season.
CERBERUS also aim to show what they can accomplish alongside their Vietnamese partners, with their own set of accomplishments throughout the season, taking sets off BOOM Esports & Enigma Gaming, plus a long standing roster that has shown promise all the way back in 2021.
Vietnam’s last highest placement was from Team Big BAAM, a top 6 finish in Stage 3 SEA Knockouts. Since then, no Vietnamese team has since made it out of the group stage in APAC competition. The teams from this region are the underdogs heading into the LCQ, hoping to prove that every part of APAC can find their own success.
Griffin E-Sports want to show their dark horse story, coming from a region with little to none
The dark horse of the tournament, Griffin E-Sports look to put on a show with their highly skilled Taiwanese & Hong Kong players, such as W1nner & Rainy of the old CBT Gaming roster that also found success out of the region. On their road to LCQ, they’ve taken down some opponents, and want to accomplish new heights for their already small region.
ORDER look to finally show the world what Oceania can accomplish in VALORANT
The top team out of Oceania, ORDER; have had hype added to their name as the possibility of them playing internationally got closer and closer. But when the time emerged, for all they said the results didn’t back it up.
But this was the first time they played against Asian competition officially, and for the first time not on 150 ping. Since then, the team has learned and changed despite losses in the Oceania Championship.
In recent times, Oceania has taken massive wins in other esports such as the Apex Legends Global Championship. ORDER might just show their force to APAC as they did back in Oceania, and this time around it’s their gateway into going against the highest caliber of competition. Will ORDER show what they’re made of, or will Oceania have to wait again for their time to shine?
With the storylines being set in stone, a lot is on the line here. This is the final chance for these teams to make the global stage, and with franchising on the horizon; it could just be their final time having a chance of going international.
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