GPL Summer 2014 Week 4 Preview

Last week's dramatics have set the stage for Week 4. As the GPL nears its playoffs, the conflict between Taiwanese and Vietnamese teams have taken over the circuit: AHQ was the first to fall, as the Saigon Fantastic Five dented their flawless win streak, and the Assassins are now up next.

DAY ONE

Group A

• Taipei Assassins vs Saigon Jokers
• Taipei Assassins vs Imperium Pro Team

Group B

• Neolution Full Louis vs Saigon Fantastic Five
• Neolution Full Louis vs Wargods
• AHQ vs Wargods

The postponed Jokers versus Assassins game finally commences. In the wake of the Fantastic Five's shocking victory over AHQ, the Group A match now holds even more significance: the Assassins are once again the one undefeated GPL team, and the Jokers are once again a Vietnamese team in position to disrupt that claim. For the first time, SAJ might be up to that task. AHQ's loss came after a streak of increasingly confident successes, and SF5 is usually considered the weaker of the two Vietnamese sibling teams. If it was at all indicative of the Jokers' capabilities, then the Assassins are marked men.

DAY TWO

Group A

• Bangkok Titans vs Saigon Jokers
• Insidious Gaming Legends vs AHQ Fighter

Group B

• Insidious Gaming Rebirth vs Machi e-Sports
• Saigon Fantastic Five vs Machi e-Sports

Meanwhile, the other Taiwanese team has seen better days. Machi e-Sports has yet to stabilize, losing against both AHQ and Neolution Full Louis last week, though changing BigBrother out for Monk in top lane was at least a pretty clear upgrade. They have a good chance against Insidious Gaming Rebirth, as the Singaporean team is struggling to be relevant when shouldering a 0-5 burden, but the Saigon Fantastic Five is a massive barrier to overcome. Similarly, the Bangkok Titans have much to prove in their game against the Jokers. The oft-maligned Titans are tied with Insidious Gaming Legends for 4th place – the work done by Lloyd and G4 in their respective carry positions has been a tremendous boon to the team. Though they have only a scant few wins to their name, even their losses have been exciting lately.

DAY THREE

Group A

• Saigon Jokers vs AHQ Fighters
• Insidious Gaming Legends vs Taipei Assassins
• Bangkok Titans vs Imperium Pro Team

Group B

• Insidious Gaming Rebirth vs Wargods
• Insidious Gaming Rebirth vs AHQ

AHQ Fighter's a bit unlucky to have been put in the same group as the Taipei Assassins. Fighters' 4-2 record would be respectable under any ordinary circumstances, but their rookie year efforts are overshadowed by TPA's flawless performance thus far. Silver, however, is still up for grabs – and with the Jokers concentrating their efforts on the Assassins instead, now might be the best time for Fighter to strike. Knocking over Vietnam's premier GPL team would be as loud a message as they could wish for. A statement of the threat they pose to the top veteran teams. GPL English broadcasts begin Wednesday, July 2nd, at 2 AM PDT (11 AM CET).

Related Articles

• 2014 World Finals heads to Seoul's World Cup Stadium
• Power Rankings – Week 22