?Turtle Master are not only the champions of the entire G-League with their victory over Neolution eSports.MRR in the Grand Finals last week, but they also have the regular season crown to defend. That mission took the first hit yesterday, as the successful Thai squad only tied Sawadeekap Gaming in the opening contest of the second cycle of G-League. All other top teams like ORGE, MRR, briX and MiTH.s2y took advantage.
The cycle is still young, but the first upset is already in the books. The reigning and defending regular and entire cycle champions of Turtle Master did not get the optimal start into the second cycle, as they only tied one of the four new G-League teams. Sawadeekap Gaming from Indonesia did not mess around in their debut game in the G-League and was not intimidated by the big name from Thailand. In the end the series was split, which is only the third game that TurS could not win in the entire G-League thus far. Usually the squad around Hooky`Hooky is used to winning their games, as they now have a combined record of 13 win, two ties and only one loss in the regular season - still undefeated in the postseason. The "rookies" of Sawadeekap Gaming join elite company though, as only the absolute top teams of Neolution eSports.MRR and Orange eSports were able to take games off TurS until now.
The early struggle of the champs opens the door for the other teams to put a little bit of space between themselves and the fierce team right off the bat. Almost every playoff contender capitalized on that chance and captured a victory in the opening series. Three SEA teams and two Thai teams lead the division, as Orange eSports, briX and DC Fabulous storm ahead for SEA and Neolution eSports.MRR and Made in Thailand.Sorry Sorry represent the Blue, White and Red of Thailand.
Interesting in that is, that the promotion teams have done very well to kick off the season. With MiTH.s2y and DC Fabulous two of them could already win their first bout, Sawadeekap Gaming showcased it's strength against an elite opponents, only KaiD could not put points on the scoreboard in the opener. The consistent Thai team had to square off against Orange eSports right away, which was an absolutely one-sided affair for the Malaysian powerhouse on their quest back to the playoffs. KaiD has to overcome that early woe now in the next couple of days, to avoid the struggle against demotion back to D1.
KaiD is not the only big name that fell in the first day of the second G-League cycle, as the new face of iMpunity.Storm also could not find a victory in their competitive debut of the new roster. In the Thai battle against one of the promotion teams in Made in Thailand.Sorry Sorry, NoVa and Emperor's team couldn't get off to a good start on both maps and saw the most recent DreamHack Thai representative run away with the game in the end. Especially MrSunz and BagstygAsry` shone in those matches, putting iMpunity.Storm into bad situations and bouncing on those.
Last but not least is the struggle of the prominent Malaysian team of Anti Moon Queen, who extended their slump yesterday. After a good start into the first cycle of G-League, the team around wangwang_ and ceewhy dropped off significantly in the later half of the round. This time they start off sloppy as well, which the promotion team DC Fabulous facilitated. A clean and clear sweep to start off the season, but a decent schedule the next couple of days will show, what Anti Moon Queen is made off in this cycle. Another blunder and competition against the absolutely stacked high-tier competition of G-League might spell doom for the team, if they are not stepping up their game.
Redemption Day iMpunity.Storm is near though, as their next foe is 2nd Runner Up from the South East Asian region - a team that the ambitious storm should be able to blow away. KaiD on the other hand has to deal with Sawadeekap Gaming and has to fight real hard to not fall to a 0-2 start into their G-League bid.
| SEA HoN Tour G-League Cycle 2 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Place | Team | W-L-T | Points |
| 1. | Orange eSports | 1-0-0 | 3 |
| 1. | briX | 1-0-0 | 3 |
| 1. | DC Fabulous | 1-0-0 | 3 |
| 1. | Neolution eSports.MRR | 1-0-0 | 3 |
| 1. | Made in Thailand.Sorry Sorry | 1-0-0 | 3 |
| 6. | Turtle Master | 0-0-1 | 1 |
| 6. | Sawadeekap Gaming | 0-0-1 | 1 |
| 6. | FunFunPlace | 0-0-1 | 1 |
| 6. | Step Gods | 0-0-1 | 1 |
| 6. | 2nd Runner Up | 0-0-1 | 1 |
| 6. | Open House Party | 0-0-1 | 1 |
| 12. | Vietnam minion Team | 0-1-0 | 0 |
| 12. | Anti Moon Queen | 0-1-0 | 0 |
| 12. | Gspeed AVI | 0-1-0 | 0 |
| 12. | KaiD | 0-1-0 | 0 |
| 12. | iMpunity.Storm | 0-1-0 | 0 |
