Esports News: The Kuala Lumpur Convention Center will be the focus on the CS:GO world later this week with a $250,000 prize pool on the line at the ROG Masters. The event shapes up as an incredibly dynamic tournament, given the minimal amount of teams attending the event as a whole.
All eyes on Gambit Esports
With only six teams in attendance, Gambit Esports represent the clear favourites to both claim Group A as the number one seed, as well as win the tournament as a whole. The most recent Major winners, albeit with a slightly different line-up, Gambit have struggled to find any sort of consistency against top-tier teams. Led particularly well by emerging star HObbit, Gambit are an aggressive team, continually putting pressure on their opponents in order to claim victory. The problem for Gambit lies with their inability to have a second star consistently back HObbit up, with AdreN, mou, and fitch having up and down performances. AdreN was in peak form when Gambit claimed the Major title, and while perhaps not needed for this event, his return to form moving forward will be crucial for Gambit if they hope to replicate their moment of success.
Questions remain with Splyce and 5Power Club
Joining Gambit in Group A are both Splyce and 5Power Club. Splyce have been a disappointment thus far in North America after sweeping roster moves appeared to have minimal effect. Roca was once seen as a rising rifler within NA, yet he has underperformed on big stages both in his time with Echo Fox as well as Splyce. One bright spot for Splyce has been within the North American circuit of the ESL Pro League, where the squad stayed within a few games of both Renegades and Cloud9, two teams performing well at the moment. If savvy veterans such as SEMPHIS and DAVEY can find their mojo, then Splyce become an interesting squad.
5Power Club are a team with limited experience against even tier-two international teams, leaving their hopes in a similar vein to Splyce. 5Power have slowly climbed through the ranks within China, performing well at minor events last year and threating at larger local tournaments this year. Chinese teams are notorious for their loose and aggressive style, which will be an interesting matchup given Gambit’s willingness to do the same.
Vega Squadron will rely on mir
Group B shapes up as a two-horse race, with Vega Squadron, replacing mousesports, battling it out with TyLoo for the first seed. Vega Squadron have seen limited international success ever since they burst onto the scene with a shocking win over NiP on Cache. The team are still built around star player mir, who surprisingly has not moved to greener pastures when sweeping roster changes occurred in Europe. Vega Squadron are similar to Gambit, in that they have one player, mir, who performs consistently, while others such as chopper and jR have the odd high-level performance. If one other player can keep up with mir, Vega Squadron are potentially a very dangerous team.
TyLoo expected to maintain aggression
TyLoo also have a star player surrounded by up and down talent, in this case being BnTeT. Captain of the team, Mo, has struggled for some time, both in terms of tactics and fragging power. Bondik has since joined the side this year, adding veteran leadership; something previously lacking for TyLoo. TyLoo are the quintessential Chinese team, continually pushing forward no matter the odds in hopes of catching the enemy off-guard. Look for TyLoo to continue the trend of Gambit; playing a loose form of Counter-Strike that is exhilarating to watch.
The final team in Group B are Grayhound Gaming, an Australian team also with limited international play. With a recent roster move, the addition of DickStacy in November, Grayhound find themselves looking for their style. Formerly under the Team Immunity banner, Grayhound have had success in producing talent over the years, who then went on to play for the larger brand of Renegades. While not expected to perform as well as both Vega and TyLoo, given their experience edge, this will be valuable experience for a young and newly put-together five-man roster.
It would be a stunning upset if Gambit Esports failed to take the ROG Masters title, but there is enough uncertainty in all of the other teams to indicate the potential for some crazy results. As such, this should make the ROG Masters compelling viewing.
