Asian Games 2023: Malaysia eliminated from League of Legends medal event by Chinese Taipei
Malaysia failed to make it out of the quarterfinals despite having a guaranteed Playoffs spot.
The playoffs for the League of Legends medal event at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou kicked off on Wednesday (27 September), where eight teams went head-to-head to secure a spot in the semifinals and advance further on their journey to claim a medal.
Despite a guaranteed Playoffs spot, Malaysia has been surprisingly eliminated in 5th-8th place after losing to Chinese Taipei, 2-0, in the best-of-three quarterfinals.
Unlike countries like South Korea, Chinese Taipei, Vietnam, and Macau that played best-of-one matches in the Group Stage, Malaysia were one of the four countries with guaranteed Playoffs spot through the Road to Asian Games Southeast Asia qualifiers, which took place back in June.
Malaysia lose to stacked Chinese Taipei
In the quarterfinals, Malaysia faced a Chinese Taipei contingent that was manned by seasoned LoL professionals from the Pacific Championship Series (PCS) and the Chinese League of Legends Pro League (LPL), with most of them having LoL Worlds experience.
In the first game, the Malaysian contingent opted for popular picks like Azir, Aphelios and Rakan, as well as juggernauts Mordekaiser and a Tanky Maokai in the jungle.
However, they were countered by Taipei’s picks like tank-bruiser K’sante, Ivern in the jungle, a mid AD Carry pick in Tristana, along with Zeri and Rell in the bottom lane. The match ended in 21 minutes, with the Taiwanese team taking the upper hand.
In the second match, the Malaysian team’s picks were Tryndamere, Sejuani, Orianna, Xayah and Rell; while the Taiwanese team went for Renekton, Nidalee, Neeko, Aphelios, and Alistar. After a dominant 18-minute encounter, Chinese Taipei won the match to secure a spot in the semifinals.
Aside from Chinese Taipei, South Korea, China, and Vietnam also have secured their slots in the semifinals after likewise sweeping their competition 2-0.
Meanwhile, Malaysia bow out of the competition in 5th-8th place along with Saudi Arabia, Macau, and India.
The semifinal matches will take place on Thursday (28 September), with LoL powerhouse nations South Korea and China facing off at 9:00 AM Singapore Time and Chinese Taipei and Vietnam clashing at 2:00 PM Singapore Time.
Anna is a freelance writer and photographer. She is a gamer who loves RPGs and platformers, and is a League of Legends geek. She's also a food enthusiast who loves a good cup of black coffee.
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