Mega Bank Beyond Gaming, the Pacific Championship Series’ second seed, have ended their 2021 League of Legends World Championship journey. They were defeated by Hanwha Life Esports 3-0 amid controversy the day before the match where their mid laner Chien “Maoan” Mao-An was suspended due to an ongoing investigation pertaining to his participation in gambling. It was a bittersweet end to their first ever outing at the World Championships, especially since they had to substitute in Hsieh “PK” Yu-Ting, their substitute top laner.
There is undoubtedly much to be taken from their campaign in Iceland, both positive and negative. Some will point to BYG being a Pool 1 team and yet they only managed a meager one win in Group B; others will talk about their bot laner, Chiu “Doggo” Tzu-Chuan, breaking his back to carry his team from the brink multiple times throughout their run in Play-Ins, especially in their five-game series against Galatasaray Esports.
Since there is still one more team from the PCS at Worlds 2021, we spoke to two PCS casters before the Main Event gets underway. Devin “PiraTechnics” Younge and Frank “Nit3Star” Peng weigh in on BYG’s overall performances in the Play-Ins and if this might be any indication of PSG Talon’s performances in Group C.
What are your thoughts on Beyond’s Gaming’s performances on their first Worlds outing, especially with many people being critical of them being a Pool 1 team?
Nit3star: I give them a pass on their first Worlds as an organization. I mentioned it on Twitter, but for most of this team this is their first Worlds and also their first time playing on stage this year. A lot of that showed in how they took a while to ramp up during Play-Ins, but hopefully, they’re able to grow a lot for next year.
Also something to note is that this is BYG's first opportunity to play live on stage instead of playing from the gaming house. Perhaps a big factor in some of the shakiness we're seeing in laning
— Frank "Nit3Star" Peng (@Nit3Star) October 8, 2021
PiraTechnics: Well, unfortunately, anything that can be said about BYG is gonna come tainted with the betting scandal. Prior to that, I’d say the team started colder than expected, but we got to see them turn on the heat by the series against RED Canids Kalunga. However, them not making the group stages, whatever the reason, is definitely a disappointment but I think Doggo and co. showed their strength throughout Play-Ins.
If Maoan was playing, would Beyond Gaming have been able to upset Hanwha Life? Could they take one game off them?
Nit3star: It’s always difficult to predict a ‘what if’ scenario such as this one especially when both teams’ playstyles are so different. While there’s no doubt the series would’ve played out differently, the scoreline may have very well remained the same.
PiraTechnics: It’s hard to say. Given their form leading into the match, I think it wouldn’t have been a quick 3-0 compared to today’s series. The match was always going to be tough; I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility to that Beyond Gaming could take a game or two against HLE, however.
Do you think Beyond Gaming’s playstyle and performances will be a strong indicator on how PSG Talon performs in Group C?Â
Nit3star: Not at all. PSG and BYG have vastly different playstyles and there’s much, much more experience on the big stage from PSG’s lineup, so I have no doubt that they will come out of the gates firing all cylinders, as opposed to BYG’s slow ramp-up in the Play-in stages.
PiraTechnics: Not particularly. There were definitely some rookie nerves on display when BYG played their games. Also, PSG play very differently compared than BYG, and you really can’t compare the play-ins groups to Group C. Despite the closeness of the finals and semifinals, PSG have had a lot of time to prepare for who they are playing, and the skill level overall is higher on their more experienced squad.Â
Me before #Worlds2021: "BYG is more than just Doggo, this team is pretty rounded"
That series: Happens
Me: pic.twitter.com/VYYYxDTE7w
— PiraTechnics (@PiraTechnics) October 8, 2021
Doggo has been the talk of the town and once again has performed exceptionally well. Do you think he will be picked up by a major region? Where would you like to see him go?
Nit3star: There’s the possibility for him to make his way over to LPL, but the top PCS teams have come a long way in being able to offer competitive contracts, so I think he’ll stay in the region for at least another year. It would be interesting to possibly bring him over to NA in an all Mandarin-speaking team, as I’ve heard that TSM academy did experiment with that during their Spring Season.
PiraTechnics: Oh man, I’d love to see Doggo continue to develop in the PCS, but he’ll certainly get some offers in the off-season. It seems most likely the LPL would pick him up, especially as the language barrier won’t be an issue. I’m not really sure where I’d like to see him go – I just want Doggo to have his best chance to shine.
PSG Talon will carry on the PCS’s torch at Worlds 2021 and you can watch their first match against Royal Never Give Up on October 11.Â
