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The competitive League of Legends is coming to its climax. From the 25th of September, League of Legends Long will host the World 2024 Championship.
Worlds 2024 is the main event of the competitive League of Legends and the biggest tournament of the season. It will bring together 20 teams from 8 regions in one place. The matches will start from the Play-In stage.
Among the Play-In participants are GAM Esports and Hawks Gaming. The clubs will begin their journey through Worlds 2024 with a face-to-face match at the Play-In.
We'll see which of the GAM - Hawks pair will be stronger and make it to the next round of the top Play-In grid, and who will have to continue their journey to the Swiss Stage from the lower grid.
Let's go.
Hawks Gaming uniforms
We open our breakdown of the Hawks vs GAM Esports match with an analysis of the Hawks' playing form. The PCS residents and second team in the region are playing as favourites with odds to win at around 1.6. In fact, this is the closest matchup of the first round of the Play-In.
Hawks Gaming, aka Fukuoka SoftBank HAWKS, is a fairly new name in the competitive League of Legends. The club could be seen in action for the first time since 2020.
Since the 2020 season, the team has been playing steadily in the LJL. In 2020, the team was ranked in the Top 8 and Top 6, before repeating the result in 2021 by finishing in the Top 6 in the spring and summer. In 2022, they finished in the top-3 in the summer for the first time.
In the 2023 season, the team climbed back into the LJL Spring Top 4 before reaching the regional league finals for the first time. After a top-2 finish in 2023, the team won the LJL Spring 2024 regular season and LJL Summer 2024 in the 2024 season.
- Hawks Gaming roster: Evi, Forest, DasheR, Marble, Vsta
Riot decided to combine LJL and PCS regions into one and play-offs Hawks played against teams, including PCS. They finished in the top 2 twice, which earned them a spot in the Worlds 2024.
GAM Esports uniforms
We continue our breakdown of the GAM vs Hawks match with an analysis of the Hawks' playing form. In this match they are playing as an outsider with odds to win at around 2.2.
GAM Esports is one of the most titled teams in Vietnam with 5 wins in regional splits and several top 2 home league titles. At the last event, VCS Dawn 2023, GAM Esports had a very strong run in the play-offs, winning the group 14-0 in the series. GAM played well in the play-offs itself, giving up a total of 4 maps in 3 series.
Vietnam (VCS) - My region with an asterisk. Teams from there are capable of putting up a fight against the world's top League of Legends clubs, as demonstrated by GAM Esports during Worlds 2017, 2019, and even at Worlds 2022.
The peak of performance on the international stage remains 2017. That's when GAM Esports finished in the top 6 at the 2017 Mid-Season Invitational.
To repeat the success of 2017, it is mandatory to beat Rainbow7 in the upcoming confrontation. Everything seems to be in place for that to happen.
- GAM Esports lineup: Kiaya, Levi, Emo, EasyLove, Elio.
GAM has top performers by VCS standards, which is confirmed by the club's performance at home. However, they didn't help GAM to beat a more titled opponent, namely Golden Guardians, with whom GAM played in the first round of Play-In MSI 2023, and lost to them without much chance.
All in all, MSI 2023 ended very badly for GAM Esports. After losing in the first round, the Vietnamese unexpectedly defeated Rainbow7 in the first round of the lower grid, and therefore ignominiously left the championship at the Top 12.
The team made it to Worlds 2023 thanks to a win at the home VCS Dusk 2023. In the grand finals they easily beat Team Whales with a score of 3-1.
In the debut match at Worlds 2023 Gam Esports played against LOUD. The Brazilians proved to be stronger, although GAM put up a fight. The match ended with a score of 0-2 not in favour of GAM.
In the previous round GAM defeated Rainbow7. They defeated them on class (2-0), without giving space on any of the maps.
In the previous match, GAM Esports played against the titular Brazilians LOUD. Being the underdogs they showed class and closed the series with a 2-0 score, sending one of the favourites of the Play-In stage home.
In the match to advance to the Worlds 2023 group stage, GAM Esports played against their regional counterparts from Team Whales. They closed the series 3-1 on the experience, thus becoming the first team at Worlds 2023 to make it past the Play-In stage.
Having met all the challenges of the Play-In, GAM Esports travelled to the group stage. The first opponent of GAM Esports was Gen.G, and then Fnatic. In general, there are no questions about the first game, but Fnatic could fight, but it didn't work out.
Being one step away from elimination GAM Esports showed a very spirited game in the match against Liquid. The North American team managed to take one card, but no more than that. However, GAM did not last long: in the next match the club faced the title representative of Korea, the team Dplus and, losing with a score of 0-2, left Worlds 2023.
In the 14th season of LoL, GAM triumphed at VCS Spring 2024, which allowed them to advance to the Mid-Season Invitational 2024. GAM played against Fnatic in the first round of Group B, but lost 0-2. Later, GAM would lose to Fnatic once again with a score of 0-2 and leave MSI 2024 at the top-10 stage.
Failure at MSI 2024 did not stop GAM from once again proving themselves on the home stage. The team won the VCS Summer Split, thus qualifying for Worlds 2024.
GAM Esports' most popular champions
Aatrox (3 matches, 100% wins) and Renekton (3 matches, 66% wins) are the most frequently sent to the top line.
Sejuani (3 matches, 100% winrate) and Lee Sin (3 matches, 66% wins) are the most frequently played among the foresters.
Ahri/Jayce (7 games, 85% win rate) is the centre line.
Among shooters, Kaisa/Xayah (6 matches, 50% wins) are favoured.
But in the shooters, the usual Nautilus (8 matches, 75% wins).
History of head-to-head meetings Hawks - GAM Esports
Previously, the teams have not played each other in official meetings.
Predicted result of Hawks vs GAM Esports at Worlds 2024 Play-In.
Since this is the closest match of the first round of the Play-In in terms of odds, we should expect a close game on the server. As far as I'm concerned, it should end with a full-fledged Bo3.
Bottom line: total +2.5.
