Digital Life AsiaThe VALORANT Pacific Open is a series of VALORANT tournaments organized by Cyber Games Arena (a leading esports event organizer from Hong Kong and Taiwan) and Riot Games.
The Philippine, Indonesia, and Thailand qualifying legs were organized by Mineski Global.
The Top 10 teams advanced to the final stage of the tournament, following the regional open qualifiers that were held in July.
The final week of the League of Legends Pacific Championship Series (PCS) 2020 Summer Split Regular Season delivered both thrills and heartbreak across the three days of competition, including the nerve-wrecking tiebreaker on Sunday.
At the start of the week, plenty of excitement grew around the possibility of an unprecedented, four-way tie among the top four teams: Taipei J team (JT), ahq eSports club (AHQ), PSG Talon (PSG), and Machi Esports (MCX). The stars seem to align as all four teams secured the necessary wins over the weekend, though it all came down to the crucial match between JT and MCX.
A win for MCX against JT would have guaranteed the four-way tie, while JT could have ended the Regular Season in first place with a win against the runner-up of the League of Legends PCS Spring Split. Fully aware of the risk posed by the four-way tie, JT was relentless in this match. They were able to secure Cloud Soul under 24 minutes and decimated MCX despite Mission having his pocket pick Azir, ending the match with 0 kills and 6 deaths. The first-place finish of JT is a vast improvement for a team that barely made it into the playoffs in Spring. This performance was their greatest show of intent to qualify for Worlds 2020.
PSG Talon (PSG) bounced back from a poor Week 5 in the League of Legends Pacific Championship Series (PCS) 2020 Summer Split with four wins in the Super Week. These include important wins over league leader, Taipei J Team (JT), and ahq eSports club (AHQ).
AHQ, PSG and Machi Esports (MCX) are now tied for 2nd place with 12W4L.
Other than PSG, the top four teams all suffered a loss and one particular defeat that stood out was MCX’s match against Alpha Esports (ALF).
Spirit Blossom is a new in-game event from Riot Games that embraces anime with immersive storytelling, expressive designs, and multiple-game coordination.
This month-long thematic experience will span across three of their titles: Legends of Runeterra, League of Legends, and Teamfight Tactics.
The multi-game festival will run from July 22 to Aug. 24 with new features. These include a temporarily returning game mode (Nexus Blitz), a brand new narrative experience called Spirit Bonds, new personalization items in Legends of Runeterra and Teamfight Tactics, a new skinline in League of Legends, and more.
Taipei’s J Team (JT) is the first team to clinch 10 wins in the League of Legends Pacific Championship Series (PCS) 2020 Summer Split.
JT solidified their position at the top while being pursued by old rivals ahq eSports club (AHQ), who handed JT their second loss of the split on Day 2.
Machi Esports (MCX) avenged their defeat in the Mid-Season Showdown and at the start of the split, beating PSG Talon (PSG) to level with AHQ on 9W3L.
In a bid to further promote grassroots esports development in the Philippines, the Youth Esports Program (YEP) has announced a partnership with global game developer and publisher Riot Games Southeast Asia.
Mineski Philippines launched YEP in February. It aims to develop grassroots esports talent in the Philippines through student initiatives. Through this partnership, students that are part of YEP will gain access to Riot’s speakers through workshops and career talks, participation in activities organized by the publisher, and other support for student initiatives. Among these initiatives are weekly Legends of Runeterra tournaments for YEP chapter orgs, VALORANT content contests, and more.
“The Philippines has always been one of our most important markets and we have been consistently blown away by the passion and talent discovered within the community here. We are excited to partner with the Youth Esports Program and to support their efforts in nurturing the next generation of esports and game industry professionals,” Chris Tran, Head of Esports for Riot Games Southeast Asia, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau, said in a press statement.
After three weeks and 36 matches played in the League of Legends Pacific Championship Series (PCS) 2020 Summer Split, the ranking is shaping up nicely.
Taipei J Team (JT), PSG Talon (PSG), and ahq eSports club (AHQ) are racing for the top two spots of League of Legends PCS 2020 Summer Split rankings. The gap between these teams and the rest of the league is beginning to widen.
JT started Week 3 undefeated but had their streak ended by Spring Split champions, PSG. Their match was touted as the featured match of the week and it did not disappoint. Despite the defeat, JT bounced back to win their Sunday matches against Hong Kong Attitude (HKA) and Liyab Esports (LYB). They remain at the top of the rankings ahead of PSG. PSG only played two matches this week but won both in emphatic fashion.
Ten teams from Taiwan, Thailand, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore will battle it out in the VALORANT Pacific Open for a prize pool of US$20,000.
The qualifiers of the VALORANT Pacific Open will start on July 3. Winners from each qualifier will advance to the VALORANT Pacific Open Finals in mid-August.
Riot Games and Cyber Games Arena (CGA) have joined forces to host this series of regional tournaments. CGA is a leading esports event organizer from Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Talk about a week of shockers. Hong Kong Attitude (HKA) has delivered the biggest upset so far in the League of Legends Pacific Championship Series Summer Split.
HKA defeated reigning Spring Split champions, PSG Talon (PSG), in Week 2’s Match of the Week. And now the improbable has happened. Taipei J Team (JT) and HKA, placed 7th and 8th, respectively, in the PCS 2020 Spring Split. Both, however, now sit at the top of the League of Legends PCS 2020 Summer Split rankings.
Both teams played three matches in Week 2 and won all three, including HKA’s shocking victory over PSG.
Six teams of five prominent content creators and personalities each from Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand will duke it out in the VALORANT SEA Invitational on July 11.
They are also gaming for a good cause. Riot Games Southeast Asia will donate US$10,000 to GlobalGiving’s Coronavirus Relief Fund. This will benefit projects working to prevent the pandemic’s spread. The VALORANT SEA Invitational will feature big names, including:
“We are thrilled by the excitement surrounding VALORANT from our Southeast Asian players, whose response towards the game has exceeded our expectations. This charity invitational is an opportunity for us to unite players in the region through a shared passion for playing and watching the game, all in the name of a good cause. We look forward to bringing more such unique experiences to our players in the near future,” Chris Tran, Head of Esports for Riot Games SEA, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau, said in a press statement.