Not who you thought they were, Clutch Gamers: a mid-year report
It’s important that I display my stance immediately, and address the issue surrounding Clutch Gamers. The issue is simple: too many fans are quick to disrespect Team Faceless. How have they disrespected Faceless? By irrationally bandwagoning for Clutch Gamers. CG proved at EPICENTER 2017 that they’re not who you thought they were.
Bandwagoning is fine, but consider the entire scope of each team’s accomplishments before claiming that any team other than TF is a “powerhouse” or “champion” of Southeast Asia.
First quarter, 2017
Clutch Gamers opened the year with the ProDota Cup SEA #4. To their credit, they made the finals; however, they were swept 3-0 by Mineski. $1,000 to CG.
At the end of February, Clutch Gamers played in the ProDota Cup SEA #5. CG narrowly defeated Geek Fam to earn $2,000.
At the start of March, CG finally participated in a tournament with Team Faceless. What happened when Clutch Gamers met Team Faceless in the winners’ finals? Team Faceless swept CG 2-0. Furthermore, Team Faceless swept every team they met in the playoffs of this tournament, dropping 0 games. That’s what I call dominance. $2,500 to Clutch Gamers and $15,000 to Team Faceless.
Mid March brought the Kiev Major 2017 SEA Qualifer, and CG met up with Faceless again. Clutch Gamers tied TF in the group stage (both went 7-2, but Faceless won the head-to-head matchup). CG won 0 games after the group stage, and Team Faceless qualified for Kiev.
Q2, 2017, CG proves they’re not who you thought they were
Clutch Gamers did well at the Summit 7 Qualifer, but they never matched up with Faceless. They seized the moment and defeated the teams put in front of them (none of which are particular threats). Nonetheless, they deserve credit for the wins.
Team Faceless was slumping during CG’s period of success. CG’s form peaked in May, as they achieved qualification for both the Manila Masters and EPICENTER 2017. Faceless didn’t go to the Manila Qualifier; use the highlight reels below to form an opinion of where CG stands regionally compared to TF.
Beating a giant in one tournament (even if its a significant tournament) is not grounds to cast the giant out. Take a look at how Clutch Gamers performed at EPICENTER 2017 before buying another ticket for the bandwagon. CG did a terrible job of representing Southeast Asia at EPICENTER; if Faceless went to EPICENTER, they certainly wouldn’t have failed like CG did. 0-8 is unacceptable, and I hope it changed the minds of many. Clutch Gamers are not who you thought they were. Not at all.
Grade: C
I hope you enjoyed the rant. Whether you did or not, reach out on Twitter and let me know what you think of this article as well as the series. I’d love some feedback. Thanks for reading.