Esports Vainglory8

Vainglory 8 Spring Breakdown: EA Split 2 Preview

Split 2 begins for the EA Vainglory 8! While Black Cat Knights and Hack retained their places during challenger battles, GG NEWtype 1st overtook Team Quad securing their spot in the Vainglory 8. What will this mean for EA? Broken Myth breaks it down in this Split 2 Preview.

Matches To Watch

Invincible Armada lost two games last season, one of which against Hack—the previous 2016 World Championship participants. Having defended their spot in the Vainglory 8, Hack has potential to turn the tables. Can DaDa, Yuppppp and ILoveYoungJoo bring home another win?

GG NEWType 1st makes their Vainglory 8 premiere this week. While they were able to defeat Team Quad, they were much weaker opponents than pQq, whom they will face this week. pQq is third for a reason. They are innovators of the Kestrel-Grumpjaw combination, and the first to utilize Grumpjaw to his maximum potential.

With pQq’s ingenuity and Grumpjaw’s buff in Update 2.3, GG NEWtype 1st will have to bring their best to achieve victory. If they do win, they likely will face off against GG NEWtype 2nd who have already found great success in the Vainglory 8.

Heroes To Watch

With Update 2.3 in full swing and a week of Vainglory 8 play from other regions to draw from, there will be interesting trends to keep an eye out for in EA Vainglory 8.

Samuel: Samuel was the most chosen Jungler in EA during Split 1. As he has seen popularity in many regions Vainglory 8 play, his pick or his being banned in EA games is certain.

Grumpjaw: Grumpjaw’s recent buffs classify him as a threat to ban in other Vainglory 8 regions. Being the region that popularized Grumpjaw, East Asian teams are likely to exploit him if possible.

Kestrel: Kestrel, being a hero who is flexible Carrying or Jungling, will most likely be banned due to her synergy with Grumpjaw. She has been a common ban in other regions as well, so even if Grumpjaw is unavailable she may see play.

Skaarf: Before their loss in the Challenger Battles, Team Quad had almost won against second place ACE Gaming with a curious Skaarf build containing almost only Broken Myths as items. As the baby dragon gains popularity in other regions, EA is sure to remember this game and his potential, though they will likely build him in more conventional ways.

Gwen: Having previously been a popular pick of LyRiz and ViViRoyal of GG NEWtype 2nd and Detonation Gaming respectively, her currently popularity in other regions means Gwen is sure to be seen in East Asia.


Matches will begin this week at 5 PM JST and will be aired on VaingloryKR’s Twitch with Korean commentary and on VaingloryJP’s OpenRec with Japanese commentary. Which match are you most excited to see? Let us know in the comments, and we’ll see you next week for another EA Vainglory 8 Update!