As fans eagerly await NA versus EU, and LCK vs. LPL vs. LMS at Rift Rivals, another Rift Rivals event is set to take place in Ho Chi Minh City on July the 3rd; though considerably less glamorous in scope, it features international underdog favourites Gigabyte Marines and fledging but struggling Japanese teams, as well as the bad boy Oceanic folks from Down Under hoping to crash the party.

Make no mistake, what this Rift Rivals lacks in top teams, it has no shortage of interesting notes, a few international debuts, and an almost guaranteed chance of clown fiestas and unorthodox strategies. This article will walk you through what to expect before tuning into Rift Rivals in Vietnam, for both the uninitiated and veterans of the three respective scenes.

Format

Teams attending (in order of seeds):

Southeast Asia (GPL)

GIGABYTE Marines

Ascension Gaming

Mineski

Oceania (OPL)

Dire Wolves

Legacy

Sin Gaming

Japan (LJL)

Rampage

Detonation Gaming

Unsold Stuff Gaming

GPL to at least reach the final as a minimum

After seeing the results of MSI, a single conclusion is abundantly clear: GPL, as a region, is quite a bit ahead of their OPL and LJL contemporaries, be it in individual talent or team play. The former is what propels GPL above other ‘emerging regions’, while the latter is present in GAM thanks in part to their coach Tinikun, who has incorporated a unique, aggressive playstyle into the team’s psyche.

Now, when one thinks of GAM, they think unrelenting aggression from the first minute. Players will jump in at low HP, taking calculated risks to ensure teamfights go their way. Lane swaps, which Riot have tried their best to remove as a viable option, are still a weapon in GAM’s arsenal, only strengthened due to the presence of the new Rift Herald on the top side of the map. Even TSM and WE struggled against such unorthodox strategies, and it is possible that GAM won’t even require such obfuscating tools to get the better of teams like Rampage and Dire Wolves.

GPL actually boasts two of the best teams coming into Rift Rivals with Gigabyte Marines and Ascension Gaming. The latter, comprised of BKT’s Worlds alumni in G4, Lloyd and Warl0ck, had a disappointing split when their journey ended in GAM ran amok over the Thai squad in a 3-0 sweep.

Now rejuvenated since NoWay joined GAM, Lloyd has taken back the ADC position that he was so renowned for. With new additions in Nuni and Renrin replacing the inept Viper in jungle and Lloyd in top lane respectively, ASC are looking more like the BKT of old in Summer than the shaky performances in Spring would indicate. In other words, it is not only GAM that OPL and LJL have to fear; ASC are a completely different team with Lloyd as the ADC.

Mineski, meanwhile, have gone from strength to strength after a turbulent few years in the wilderness, as ex-jungler and support Kaigu has held the fort in the top lane, enjoying a new leash of life. Meanwhile, Tgee who had been in the top lane for at least three years, moved back to the support position, where he was last seen internationally when Mineski attended Worlds in Season 3. These two major changes resulted in Mineski going undefeated in PGL Spring, eventually defeating bitter rivals Imperium Pro Team (IPT) in a bloody 3-2 series and securing a spot at the GPL, where they went further than anyone expected when they narrowly succumbed to a 2-3 defeat against ASC.

Therein lies the trouble of Mineski; they are wildly inconsistent, and one can never tell which Mineski will show up on the day. What can be said is that much of Mineski’s fortunes will rest on Exosen, though because of the format, it is entirely possible that Mineski may end up dropping a game or two to USG or SIN Gaming. They are not afraid to pick unconventional champions and flex their picks; they also show a good grasp of meta champions, making them a tricky proposition to draft against.

These factors combined make reaching the final at least a prerequisite coming into the event in Vietnam. Winning would be all but guaranteed, and a few experimental picks may make an appearance due to the less serious nature of Rift Rivals, but it is unlikely that GPL will take their adversaries lightly.

OPL vs LJL

The real battle then, will be between who gets to face GPL in the final. Both Oceania and Japan suffer from similar issues; low server population and isolation from other regions have caused both OPL and LJL teams to develop their own metagames in isolation from the rest of the world.

Rampage, for example, lives and dies by their jungler Tussle, although top laner Evi has started to branch out his champion pool from tanks, allowing him to become a legitimate threat apart from Tussle. Meanwhile Mid laner Ramune is most assuredly not a focal point for Rampage to play off, although he cannot be overlooked as he always tries his best to roam and be a presence in teamfights with his admittedly limited champion pool. In not so nice words, his early game is lacking.

Detonation FocusMe, RPG's eternal rivals and representatives of the LJL at IWC events until recently, have fallen off since 2015, losing in three straight finals to RPG. Despite acquiring such players as DayDream and Shrimp, they have been unable to recapture the glory days although still remaining as one of the best teams in the league by virtue of having experienced players.

The addition of Steal to the jungle, star player Yutapon moving back to ADC and switch to Awaker as head coach are but DFM's latest attempt at rejuvenation and so far, it's been working; they look more refined in thier mid-late game than before. Whether they can finally topple Rampage is a matter to be answered for another day, for now they have to band together and face Legacy and Ascension. Their chances are not rated highly against the latter, but the former might be a more suitable level of opposition. 

While Japan’s low server population has meant that the top players in LJL are either Koreans or Japanese players who have had experience on the North American server, Oceania do not have the luxury of bringing in higher level imports. There is a running joke on the server that half of its Challenger players have been banned at least once, mostly for elo boosting or account sharing; this might be a reflection of the esports culture in Oceania, where most of its players do not or are unable to take the game as seriously as in other regions.

Although Dire Wolves acquitted themselves decently at MSI with a respectable 2-4 result, one of those wins came after the results had ceased to matter. SIN is even further behind in power level than DW and Legacy, and may struggle even against the likes of Unsold Stuff Gaming and Mineski.

Legacy do have the bonus of having the Adelaide Crows, an Aussie Rules Football (AFL) team invest in them, and have shown that they too are a legitimate contender in OPL, sitting atop the OPL standings after 3 weeks, which will make for interesting viewing in Vietnam - can they translate their good form to the international stage, or will they falter like their Aussie counterparts (RIP Chiefs)?

Historical precedence may provide a glimpse into the end result of the inevitable semi-final battle between OPL and LJL; when Rampage met Dire Wolves at MSI, Dire Wolves took a win after some mistakes were made by Rampage in terms of map movements, though Rampage managed to strike back on the final day.  If there’s one positive to be gleamed for the OPL, it is that Dire Wolves will punish mistakes.

I want to give LJL the slight edge given the parity of their three seeds is not as vast as that of OPL’s, whereas DW stands head and shoulders above LGC and SIN. However, the chances of DW having RPG’s number again is very possible. It seems inevitable that the region that advances will depend on this close matchup. A regional rivalry might even develop out of this if DW and RPG meet again after Rift Rivals.

USG: LJL’s secret weapon?

While Rampage proved to be a miss at MSI with five straight losses, and DFM  proven themselves equally out of their depth internationally at previous IWC events, their third-seeded counterparts USG are completely untested in international competition. Stylistically they may have a better shot than against other teams than Rampage given RPG's unusual focal points, even if USG regularly fall to Rampage domestically. Their mid laner REMIND is considered the best in the LJL and they play around that lane extensively. What USG have going for them is a strong early game and mechanically-inclined individual players even compared to Rampage; this may give LJL an advantage and eliminate some of the lower seeds before the likes of Rampage have to face Dire Wolves.

This is assuming of course, that LGC and SIN are in fact on a lower level than would be preferred for international competition, which appears likely and hurts OPL’s chances considerably.

Fun is the name of the game

As mentioned before, some experimental picks might well show up over the course of the tournament given its nature. GAM are known for their, ah, ‘creative’ strategies, and a few others like Mineski are capable of flexing picks and bringing new flavours to the wok. Therefore, while Rift Rivals is a tournament that will promote budding regional rivalries, it is also a chance to let loose and try out new tactics against decent competition, especially for the OPL teams. For LJL and OPL, facing GPL teams will be a good experience to gauge how much they have to fix to stand a minimum chance of making it to Worlds - if they do make it that far.

So, in conclusion, expect a spectacle, even if the level of competition won’t be at its highest - the games might even resemble solo queue at times given the teams’ inexperience, but surely that will make for an entertaining event for casual fans.