At the moment, the SEA Games 31 and VCS Spring 2022 qualifiers are taking place in parallel. Vietnamese League of Legends teams have to compete with a tight schedule, but all aim to have a place in these tournaments. If at the 31st SEA Games, the qualifying team will be considered as the representative of the whole Vietnamese League of Legends, wearing the colors of the Vietnamese national team in LoL to compete in Hanoi in May. As for VCS Spring 2022, with The epidemic situation can be considered temporary, the opportunity to return to the MSI arena after 2 years of absence is very clear.
In 2022, Vietnamese League of Legends will just wait for the 31st SEA Games…
…just looking forward to the hope that VCS can attend MSI again after a period of absence due to the pandemic
But, a few days ago, there was news that made the VCS community extremely excited. Specifically, there have been some sources that said, if the same team has both a spot to attend MSI 2022 and won the SEA Games 31 qualifiers in LoL, that team can only attend SEA Games 31. In fact, this This can be expected when MSI is usually held after the Spring Split ends, which is also in the early to mid-May period. While SEA Games 31 also takes place in the same time. Surely 1 team cannot participate in both these arenas at the same time. Therefore, the above information is not surprising but also arouses many controversies.
The VCS community is also arguing about which side is more important at SEA Games 31 and MSI 2022
First, SEA Games 31 is definitely hard to compare with MSI in terms of prize money and quality of expertise. Not to mention, according to the argument of some VCS spectators, the international arena is also decisive for the fate of future VCS teams. Riot can completely reconsider VCS’s participation in international tournaments if the regional representative team does not perform well or cannot attend international tournaments for a long time. This is also something that VCS fans are extremely worried about. On the other hand, compared to the professional quality, SEA Games 31 will be difficult to compare with MSI – where there are really strong teams, the names of the League of Legends village compete.
MSI is the gathering place for many names of the world LoL village, only after Worlds
But, SEA Games 31 is the national pride and responsibility of every athlete, whether traditional or Esports. As you know, League of Legends is a subject that is expected by a large audience to get gold. Because, VCS is the region with the strongest League of Legends in Southeast Asia. Not to mention, how emotional it will be to stand in the ranks of the Vietnamese team, raise your voice to sing the national anthem, and proudly tell your parents and relatives that playing games can also bring glory to the country. That is to say that LoL winning gold can also contribute to changing the perception of parents to have a more correct view of Esports in general and League of Legends in particular.
But to bring glory to the nation is also the dream of any athlete
As most of the audience knows, a League of Legends team wants to survive, besides the prize money from the tournament, there must also be salaries for the players, money for facilities… and the owners/investors are the ones. person in charge of this section. And the prize money from the tournament will be a part of helping owners reduce their financial burden, especially after years of epidemic influence. In this respect, as mentioned above, the SEA Games will not be compared with MSI. And the players, while playing in the colors of the host team, will also be affected because of that. Even some top teams have shown signs of “letting go” of SEA Games 31 such as CERBERUS Esports only launching the 2nd squad, or GAM’s completely opposite performance in VCS Spring and SEA Games 31 qualifiers.
CES just launched the 2nd lineup to qualify for the 31st SEA Games
While GAM suddenly “falls off the horse” before SE – an opponent they have never lost before, even if it’s just a game.
But one question arises: if you choose MSI, will the VCS teams or the players be able to make an impression and have high achievements in this tournament? In the current VCS, there are almost no names in each position that really stand out or have a stable performance, except for some players like Levi (GAM), EGO, Artemis (CES). But Levi is 25 years old this year – an age that can be considered “a bit old” to start rebuilding his career abroad. EGO and Artemis are still young but EGO has just had a big scandal while Artemis requires the team to always put resources on him. Every player has certain flaws. Moreover, the major regions have no shortage of players who can also do it, even more than what EGO, Artemis is showing.
But have VCS teams and players really been able to make an impression at MSI or beyond at Worlds?
At the moment, neither the MSI 2022 slot nor the name of Vietnam’s representative at the 31st SEA Games has been determined, and no one knows if there are any issues that may affect the future of VCS at MSI 2022. Are not. Therefore, everything stops at the level of debate. But clearly, the teams and the players themselves are in a position to make choices that can affect the team, the players now and in the future. When the game is associated with the national mission, every decision must be considered very carefully and surely, any choice will create endless waves of debate among Vietnamese LoL fans.
