GPL Summer 2014 Quarterfinal Preview

Riot·7/18/2014, 2:18:09 AM·0 votes·544 views

As the GPL Summer group stage winds down, the anticipation for the knockout round heats up. Who will take it all? Well, we’ve got some potential answers for you. Here’s our list, ranked from least likely to most likely to win it all.

#8 Insidious Gaming Rebirth

Insidious Gaming Rebirth's the big underdog story of the summer split. For most of the season, the successors of the Singapore Sentinels have been a disappointment to hometown fans, going winless against a Group B plagued by roster and connectivity issues. To get this far, they’ve relied on a combination of serendipity and growth. By winning back-to-back games against Wargods, as well as a shocking victory over an impressive-looking Saigon Fantastic Five - not to mention knocking out Machi E-sports - they'd yanked themselves back into contention. They might be a long shot for the title, and Worlds slot, but Rebirth appears to thrive under pressure.

#7 Bangkok Titans

After years of wallowing at the dead bottom of the standings, the Bangkok Titans appear to have accomplished a breakthrough. Recruiting AD carry Lloyd and mid laner G4 has revitalized the long-flagging team. Whether that's enough to win a GPL title is another thing. While Lloyd's aggression's a major asset to the team, they've faltered when enemy junglers have come after him early. Despite his great threat potential, their tactical inflexibility leaves them vulnerable to the front-runners.

#6 Neolution Full Louis

Despite being plagued by connectivity issues throughout the season, Neolution Full Lous fights valiantly when not struggling against external problems. They stand as proof that the Vietnamese scene is deeper than just the GPL-sponsored sibling teams of SF5 and SAJ. To gain that reputation, they've utilized near-reckless aggression. Full Louis throws themselves at their enemies, looking to catch them off-guard and snowball off forced mistakes. In a way, it's an adaptation to their connectivity woes – with no way to know how long they can play from moment to moment, they're forced to make every moment count. Lucky for them, that's exactly what a team needs to do to succeed at the highest level.

#5 Saigon Fantastic Five

There's no doubt that the Saigon Fantastic Five have what it takes to challenge for the GPL title. At their best, even former GPL champions AHQ find themselves struggling to find the samllest advantage. In fact, AHQ's only losses this split were at the hands of the Vietnamese powerhouse squad. Given how they spent most of Season 3 trading off with the Bangkok Titans for last place, this has been a rather massive improvement. However, for them to take the title, they’ve got to settle down in easy matchups. Of the top two Vietnamese contenders, the Fantastic Five have played with the least consistency, dropping games in matchups they otherwise shouldn't have trouble with.

#4 AHQ Fighter

Newcomers AHQ Fighter came into the GPL looking a bit on the wobbly side, losing immediately - and understandably - to the Taipei Assassins. They'd quickly improved since, and jumped to second place in Group A, falling just one game short of toppling the champions. They share many characteristics with the AHQ roster that won the 2013 title, an inevitability when the jungle and mid positions are occupied by the players on the 2013 AHQ roster. MrAlbis's rock solid defensive style might not have Westdoor's aggression, but the control he leverages in tandem with Lantyr leaves most teams strangled.

#3 Saigon Jokers

The Saigon Jokers may have become one of the most well-respected teams in Southeast Asia, they still haven't quite found their grasp against the Taiwanese competition. True, they were the sole teams responsible for killing AHQ and TPA's attempts at a lossless group stage both this and last split. When pride is on the line, they can play at equivalent level. And yet, they still haven’t found that grand final victory. They might have gained momentum from beating the Taipei Assassins for the first time in a very long while, but it's also offset by the fact that they have to defeat sister team Saigon Fantastic Five in the quarterfinals for the second split in a row.

#2 AHQ

Former GPL champions AHQ have a history of getting overshadowed. The original generation Taipei Assassins kept knocking them out of international tournament qualifiers, then the Gamania Bears denied them their chance at the Season 3 World Championship. The inclusion of ace mid laner Westdoor has done a ton in increasing their competitive potential - as back-to-back semifinal placements have shown - but prior late-game weaknesses kept them just shy of regaining the GPL championship title. This might be their best chance yet to take one over the Assassins. Though once known for 40-plus minute marathons despite consistent early-game dominance, AHQ as they are now are fast, fierce, and more than capable of closing out games quickly.

#1 Taipei Assassins

The reigning kings of the GPL continue on their legacy of total dominance, dropping only one GPL game to a non-Taiwanese team over the course of two splits. The recent inclusion of Singaporean star Chawy and former Najin Black Sword head coach Sim Sung-soo promises a return to form. And that’s not even mentioning Bebe's return to the world stage. They are Southeast Asia's undisputed front-runners. But "undisputed front runner" isn't the same thing as being summer's undisputed champions. Their recent loss to the Saigon Jokers has plenty to suggest that it was a fluke – it was Chawy's first professional game in weeks, and the pick/ban stage suggested that they didn't take it as seriously, especially as there was no way for anybody to knock them out of the #1 position. But even with that said, the match was played with vigor from both sides, and the Jokers were dominant throughout. However, if they take the coming weeks seriously and play to their full potential, they may just be unbeatable. GPL English broadcasts begin Wednesday, July 9th, at 2 AM PDT (11 AM CET).