The first VGL qualifier is drawing to a close after two tumultuous weekends of nonstop action. We’ve seen a few surprises as frontrunners SK Prometheus were knocked out by the European champions Media pixel, and neither of the two G2 teams were able to secure a spot in the semifinals on Saturday. Let’s take a look a deeper look at the four strongest teams of this qualifier.
MEDIA PIXEL T1 VS SNOW AVALANCHE
Team SNOW has had a fantastic performance so far in the Winter qualifier; both of their competitive teams make it to the semi-finals, knocking out G2 Kinguin and last season’s runner up Rebirth of Empire in the quarterfinals. In my opinion, SNOW is looking much better than they did last season with improved synergy and excellent mechanical play. This match between Media Pixel and SNOW Avalanche will be a very close one. Both of these teams are used to having the upper hand throughout the whole game, so it’ll be interesting to see how the other will perform without the advantage. Media Pixel proved themselves to be highly adept at drafting and tend to go for innovative compositions whilst SNOW Avalanche usually pick more meta compositions. I feel that the outcome of this match will come down to the roamers from each team, Mowglie and Bashn, as both are regarded as the two best roamers in Europe. Players like LostBoyToph (from Nemesis) and FlashX (from Alliance) have demonstrated time and time again the pivotal role of the roam player in the team.
SNOW TSUNAMI VS REBELTIGER
SNOW Tsunami is the favorite to win this matchup; however, RebelTiger has a good chance if they manage to maintain their synergy. Why? RebelTiger has been full of surprises in the past and have overcome stronger teams with their precision plays and coordinated strategies. However, SNOW Tsunami is very strong mechanically, and to make matters more difficult, their approach to drafting and counter-picking is excellent. SNOW Tsunami was one of the favorites to win at the EU live finals, and although they did not win, they have learned from their experience and have gotten that much better. RebelTiger is going to have up their game.
The acquisition of PTLam for SNOW Tsunami has been an excellent decision by the leaders of SNOW, as he is one of the rising stars on the Europe server. However, SNOW Tsunami does tend to place more emphasis on their laner (not dissimilar to Invincible Armada), giving up jungle farm on occasion to allow PTLam to reach his late game spike earlier. If the Tigers are able to focus him down relatively early and prevent him from reaching the late game, it could go badly for SNOW Tsunami.
Interviews
We asked each team some questions about their thoughts going into the semifinals, and we’re excited to share their answers with you!
TEAM SNOW
Q: Both of the Snow teams have done really well, are you happy with how they split the rosters?
Lookatme: Of course I’m very happy about split rosters, because the worst team to face for Tsnuami is Avalanche, and for Avalanche, Tsunami. Both teams do private matches to train and discuss about draft picks and combos. Their hero pools are so large it is impossible to do personal bans for any player on the team. I think that’s why we outdrafted many teams, because they did personal bans.
Q: Do you think we will be seeing an all SNOW final?
Lookatme: I can say that Media Pixel and Rebel Tiger are very strong teams and that the semi-finals won’t be easy. But both SNOW teams have prepared very well and feel pretty confident. I think there could be a good chance of seeing a SNOW final. And of course it’s my dream, it has never happened with any other teams on VGL. For me an all SNOW final is a win, it doesn’t matter which SNOW team gets first place.
Q: For casual gamers who want to get an idea of the commitment of the top teams how often do the teams practice and play together?
Lookatme: We play 6-7 hours per day, and 4-5 hours together. Average skill of players in Vainglory grows and we should train a lot to be on top.
Q: I’ve seen your new website and it looks very professional! What does SNOW have planned for the future?
Lookatme: Thanks. The website was born just 1 week ago but now we have up to 1500 unique visitors per day. The Russian Vainglory Community is pretty big and the admin, Dmitriy Promitay, helps us to be more popular and famous, many thanks to him! We can say that we are a professional team now and we want to earn money with what we love to do most of all, which is to play Vainglory. Maybe we will join a cybersports organisation or find sponsors.
Find out more about SNOW at their website!
MEDIA PIXEL
Q: How do you feel about the matches on Saturday?
KVAlafar: We are definitely confident at this moment, and the way that we have been playing together, we can win versus anyone because we don’t consider ourselves the underdogs anymore. We confirmed that status one more time by beating SK Prometheus, who was one of the tourney’s expected winners. Although, we are very well aware of Team SNOW; we value and respect them as fierce and tough opponents so we are expecting a back and forth difficult best of three.
Q: How has Media Pixel grown since it first started?
KVAlafar: Media Pixel has grown immensely. Not only as a brand, meaning everyone knows our team from word of mouth conversations but also regarding the players), but I believe it has opened so many doors in the VG world that we feel we are not only part of the community but well respected members as well. We remember when we were playing at Tier 8 and we didn’t even know Palmatoro, and now we are the European champions and the top tier players on this server. This makes us really proud of what we have accomplished so far and we are willing to continue to sustain that value.
Q: What can we expect from Media Pixel in the future?
KVAlafar: For now I can only say that very soon we will have a big announcement to make that is gonna completely take our team to the next level. We are also inquiring about team squad to decide if we shall trial a 4th member to join the roster as a substitute player to help us assure future tournaments and even more versatility. Also, it’s our desire to participate in a global tournament such as VIPL and have the opportunity to find out how Vainglory is player in other parts of the globe and show the world that Europe has talent and that we are to be feared. Besides that, in the future we promise we will keep innovating as we did with Phinn and making matches thrilling to watch, while at the same time showing we are the well deserved champions of the Halcyon Fold.
Keep up to date with Media Pixel by following their Twitter!
REBEL TIGERS
Q: How do you feel about the matches on Saturday?
Akuma: Non-stop practice really paid off after a breath-taking 2-0 win against G2 Kinguin 2. We’ve got so much more to show and we cannot wait to reveal a few secret weapons that Arkane has been polishing in secret for months. These feisty felines lost the number one spot in the last qualifier and cannot wait to sink their teeth into it this time round.
Q: How has the team grown since we first saw them last autumn?
Akuma: In autumn, Rebel Tigers was just a group of individually skilled players… This VGL, we present as a team. Hours of practice have allowed for them to know exactly what each of them is thinking leading to precise execution of seriously impressive plays as if they were nothing
Q: What can we expect from the team in the future?
Akuma: Consistent placement amongst the top teams.
Q: What sets Rebel Tigers apart from the other teams left?
Akuma: Everything they do is because they love it; they live this game, not play it. They won’t ever play something that they dislike, no matter how meta or current it is. This is a team that only do what they love, and they love to win.
Find out more about the RebelTigers at their website!
Don’t forget to tune in to these exciting matches at the Vaingloryleague Twitch channel this weekend!
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