Yesterday, I was reading a post that said, “Contenders Pacific starts June 14!”, and then I realized, oh fuck! That’s in two days! I’d wanted to do a preview piece for the teams on over.gg, but that wasn’t really enough time to write and review an article on time.

I also remembered reading benchmob’s series of articles called Things I Like, Things I Don’t before it moved to a video format (bring the text back please, I’m a visual learner). So this is an inspiration of it, where I’ll list (about) one thing I like about each Contenders Pacific team, and (about) one thing I don’t.

This is One Updoot, One Downdoot.

Now accepting new logo designs

Talon Esports

(1st Season 1 2019, 4th Pacific Showdown)

Departures: inin77 (Flex support)

Additions: Patiphan (DPS), ManGoJai (Flex support)

My updoot: The Thai DPS duo is back again! Patiphan and oPuTo haven’t been together since the World Cup qualifiers in Bangkok, and after oPuTo brought Talon their second trophy, I can’t wait for Patiphan to get his own on Talon. Also, the HKA support duo of ManGoJai and CQB is back too!

My downdoot: The fact that either Patiphan or oPuTo will be benched, or worse, playing Brig. (Can we run Doombra, please)

Please don’t let this happen to Patiphan or oPuTo, Talon. Image credit: SGBluebell

Nova Monster Shield

(2nd Season 1 2019)

Departures: BLUE (DPS), WON (DPS), Craz1s (Off-tank), OYO (Flex support), Jervisss (Support)

Additions: Moowe (DPS), ShaiuLin (DPS), Nonezz (Flex/OT), ATing (Tank), inin77 (Flex support), Burner (Support)

My updoot: It’s another HKA reunion! ShaiuLin returns from no man’s land, while ATing joins from the bench of LGE.Huya. Moowe also joins from the disappointment that is GZA, but we love him all the same. #specmoowe

I especially can’t wait for the Talon vs NovaMS match in the final week, it’s the HKA backline on Talon vs the HKA frontline on NovaMS.

My downdoot: NovaMS has been hogging basically all of the Taiwanese World Cup players. Like seriously guys, give some other teams a chance.

All those people circled have played for/are playing for NovaMS. That’s like 9 out of 12 people. cmonBruh Image credit: ChineseTaipeiOW

JUPITER

(3–4th Season 1 2019)

Departures: SamuraiD (Tank), rayu (Off-tank)

Additions: DuDuDuDuDuDu (Tank), Westep (Tank), HengGi (DPS)

My updoot: The most photogenic man in the entire T2 Pacific scene is joining the team that is also basically a streetwear fashion line. It’s a fucking match made in heaven.

Like seriously, this is the freshest shit for any Contenders team. I’d buy some merch if I had any disposable income. Image credit: JUPITER

And look at the guy who’ll be wearing them. Image credit: JUPITER

My downdoot: SamuraiD left the team. He has always been looking good, be it on CAG or Team Japan or JUPITER. I’m not sure whether DuDu will be much of an upgrade, but we’ll have to see.

Xavier Esports

(3–4th Season 1 2019)

Departures: SQX (DPS), Patiphan (DPS), zObi (Support, moved to coaching position)

Additions: Bello (DPS), AloNeFillz (DPS), THEE (Support)

My updoot: I don’t really have to say anything about Xavier Esports in particular, but I am proud of the Thai scene in general. After Mickie joined Team EnVyUs in 2016 (and now in the Dallas Fuel), more and more Thai players are finally moving up the competitive ladder. oPuTo is the first Thai player to have won a Contenders Pacific title, and now he has the young prodigy Patiphan to back him up. Meanwhile, Teetawat is the first Thai player on an OWL academy team, and his team, the Uprising Academy, just ended Trials undefeated. It’s a good time to be a fan of the Thai scene.

My downdoot: Patiphan’s replacement on Xavier Esports. We don’t know how this team will fare without their star player, and perhaps, they won’t achieve the highs that they have achieved in the past.

Then again, this reminds me of the time when T1w just lost Krystal, their team’s hyperflex and megacarry, to the Hangzhou Spark. When we all thought T1w would slump, they went 20–0 in the regular season en route to their first Contenders trophy. So maybe anything can happen.

Cyclone Coupling

(5–6th Season 1 2019)

Departures: x1aoJ1e (DPS)

Additions: No one (that we know of, see below)

My updoot: The Chinese team is back again in Contenders Pacific with more weird comps that actually work apparently!

Actual analysis of a Chinese comp? Impossible

My downdoot: The lack of social media presence Cyclone Coupling has. Like seriously, they don’t have a Weibo (Chinese version of Twitter) or anything. So I have no official announcements on roster changes, except for like the half-up-to-date Contenders site.

Global Esports

(5–6th Season 1 2019)

Departures (AFAIK): Sachokk (Tank)

Additions (AFAIK): No one

My updoot: Patriotism intensifies Majulah Singapura motherfuckers.

My downdoot: Assistant coach joYnt isn’t coach of Team Italy. Blizzard y’all got a problem.

Help the man out guys

Green Leaves

(1st Season 2 Trials 2019)

Departures: No one

Additions: No one

My updoot: Green Leaves is finally in Contenders! Took them three seasons — and a region lock — but they finally did it!

My downdoot: I can’t view their roster on the Contenders site, they’re the only one. I mean yeah the Contenders site is outdated sometimes, but at least it’s better than nothing.

(honestly I don’t have much to say about them)

C’mon guys

Far East Society

(2nd Season 2 Trials 2019)

Departures: Papiyong (Tank), Whybe (Off-tank), BATA (Tank)

Additions: Sachokk (Tank)

My updoot: What an international roster. It’s so international I didn’t even know what flag to use for the team on over.gg. They also followed me on Twitter. silent pog

Just be warned the flag is screwed on the Discord scorebot

My downdoot:

Btw pulling a Samsung Morning Stars is announcing your roster one player at a time. They did it for like, Season 3 last year. Never do a Samsung Morning Stars

So yeah, that’s about it. I kinda have nothing much left to say, except for —

GO CATCH CONTENDERS PACIFIC IT STARTS TOMORROW IN LIKE 24 HOURS OR SO AVRL AND PIXIE WILL BE THERE I HOPE AND ILL BE THERE TICKING ON OVER.GG

Yea I still need to work on a conclusion