Worlds 2022: GAM eliminated from quarter-finals contention

The first seed from the VCS (and the only other wildcard region team) of GAM Esports were knocked out of Worlds 2022, in week 2 of the group stages. Starting the day, their matches were all or nothing games to start a run to escape group C. But despite a win over Top Esports, the miracle run could not be accomplished and GAM Esports finish Worlds 2022.

Having won no matches in the first round-robin, every game to follow mattered. Each match was a do or die for GAM who would be eliminated if they did not secure at least one win after their earlier loss to the LEC first seed Rogue. For GAM who had clung on through technicalities to not be eliminated after game one, game two being a win was pivotal for keeping the dream alive.

For the wildcard team of the VCS, GAM Esports had fought their way to Worlds 2022 due to earlier visa issues. A single defeat would send them packing. The VCS first seed had actually won Spring 2022 but chose to attend a regional event as opposed to MSI, sending the now eliminated Siagon Buffalo in their place. After two years of missing international events due to COVID19, MSI and Worlds were the first international events we saw the VCS return to.

Although the match started well for GAM, who secured first drake, first blood and first turret; once Rogue started snowballing their scaling, GAM quickly fell behind. GAM did their best throughout to keep the match close, making side lane picks and taking fights and objectives wherever possible. But several well-executed fights put Rogue firmly in the driver’s seat of the match, often trading one or two of their own players for four of GAM before ace-ing the Vietnamese team twenty seven minutes and securing the Nexus for themselves at 31 minutes.

GAM's match against the LPL second seed of Top Esports was tight from the beginning, with teams going back and forth, trading kills and objectives throughout the forty minute banger. A major highlight for the VCS representative was being able to defend their Nexus in an almost certain loss, as TES had stolen the Elder dragon in an incredible turn of events. Despite this GAM managed to hold on to the match and were then able to pull it back to take down TES' Nexus. This surprise win secured the team at least one more match in Worlds 2022.

Unfortunately for GAM Esports, this was the end of their run at the 2022 World Championship. Their last hope was for Rogue to go 6-0 in order to keep them in the competition.

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