Philippine Team Acclaim EmpireX Upsets Previous World Contenders From Thailand Bangkok Titans
The Filipino representative Acclaim Empire X (AEX) showed signs of potential after splitting two games in best-of-one matches in the opening day of the Garena Premier League (GPL) held in Vietnam on Monday.
AEX started out strong in its international debut after dismantling the GPL veterans Bangkok Titans in the 3rd match of the tournament. However, AEX lost their momentum as they lost against the Malaysian-based team Kuala Lumpur Hunters in the 6th and final match of the first day of GPL.
Acclaim Empire X (AEX) VS Bangkok Titans (BKT)
In the drafting phase, AEX drafted a composition centered on snowballing potential such as Leblanc and Twitch. On the other hand, Bangkok Titans opted for late game scaling heroes such as Ekko and Lucian.
It was a tight matchup for both teams. AEX secured the early kills, giving them the advantage they need to finish the game early. Despite the early game lead, BKT managed to find a weak spot in the roster of AEX. BKT’s Ekko in the top lane proved to be a hard matchup against AEX, peeling for BKT’s carries and successfully catching the squishies of AEX.
In the end, AEX managed to steal an Elder in a crucial clash in the bot lane. This gave the huge advantage to AEX. They also managed to secure the baron buff,pushing into the middle lane, destroying the inhibitor and taking game.
Kuala Lumpur Hunters (KLH) VS Acclaim Empire X (AEX)
KLH made a statement after banning Zac and Twitch, two comfort picks of AEX. AEX meanwhile opted for a high damage composition of Tristana and Graves, along with the global presence of Shen in the top lane.
AEX showed early signs of struggle as the bot lane of KLH proved to be a big obstacle in the matchup because of Jhin’s high damage early on in the game, countering the squishy support of AEX. KLH’s Karma also proved to be a difficult matchup because of her area of effect shield boost and poke.
The game went on evenly, but the split push strategy of KLH and early their early secure of objectives sealed the deal for AEX, giving them their first lost in the tournament.
AEX will be facing off Saigon Jokers and Kanaya Gaming today at the 2nd day of GPL. Matches will be starting at 4:00PM.
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