EVOS Esports is looking to follow in the footsteps of another team from Vietnam. Last year, the GIGABYTE Marines showed us just how talented this region is. The GIGABYTE Marines upset BAU SuperMassive to make it out of the play-in stage at MSI. They followed that up by defeating Team World Elite, Team SoloMid, and G2 in the main event, nearly making it to the semifinals in the process.
At the World Championships, the Marines again showed us their mettle. They defeated Fnatic and Immortals in the group stage, but failed to qualify for the knockout rounds after losing a tiebreaker to Fnatic. As a result of their play, the Vietnamese champion no longer has to qualify through the GPL. Instead, the Vietnamese champion is given their own spot at MSI. EVOS is looking to build on that and show the world that Vietnam should be considered one of the top regions for League of Legends.
Odds to win the 2018 Mid-Season Invitational (Courtesy of BetDSI)
EVOS Esports +10000
Backstory
EVOS was the best team in Vietnam during the regular season and they backed that up in the playoffs. They were given the No. 1 overall seed after going 12-2 in the regular season, and that helped them immensely in the postseason. Vietnam has a gauntlet-style postseason, like Korea and a few other regions, that gave the team an automatic bye to the finals. EVOS was able to sit and wait to see who would emerge to face them in the finals.
As fate would have it, the GIGABYTE Marines were able to run the gauntlet and make the finals. Many thought that they would continue their run and make it back to MSI. However, EVOS was able to hold them off and win in five games. Slay and Stark, members of last year’s Marines, played a big part in helping their new team grab their first VCS title.
What to watch for
Stark is someone you have to keep an eye on. At this point, he is something of a prodigy. Coming into last year’s MSI, he was considered one of the biggest question marks as GIGABYTE Marines’ top laner. Stark had only been playing League of Legends for a little over a month, but his skill was obviously there. He performed very well considering his inexperience and was seen as a future star.
Shortly after his return to Vietnam, he walked away from the game. He told his fans that he wanted to go to university and backed away from the competitive scene. However, EVOS made him an offer that he couldn’t refuse and he returned to action. Stark looks even better than he did last year, and he is probably the most talented player on this roster.
Warzone is another player that opponents must be wary of. The long-time mid laner is finally making his international debut and he was fantastic this split. His play on Azir in the final was pivotal to EVOS advancing to MSI. Other teams will likely ban Azir away from him, making him likely to take Ryze or Cassiopeia into the mid lane.
Prediction
BAU SuperMassiveEVOS did not have to play in the first play-in stage as a result of Vietnam’s strength as a region. They will be taking on in a best-of-five series on Tuesday for one of the last two spots into the main event. Many believe that SuperMassive are the superior team after a dominant run through the play-in stage. However, Stark and Slay were two of the stars on the GIGABYTE Marines team that knocked off SuperMassive last year.
