The Frozen Summit?
Prelude to the Winter began the climb for the Frozen Summit, gathering 21 aspiring Mobile Legends teams from all corners of Bhutan.
Widely pronounced as the first step of many towards improving the Bhutanese eSports environment, this tournament was organized by IPLAY Global and Team Catalyst who share that exact same goal.
Launching off on the 10th of October, the tournament saw five consecutive days of matches that decided the strongest teams who would be moving on to the semi-finals after which on the 22nd of October the series concluded with Team Icy Paradise laying claim to the trophy.
Of Course, as in any tournament, not everything was plain and predictable. There were quite a few twists and turns that took not just the spectators but even the teams themselves by storm! Read on for a rundown of what was interesting at the Frozen Summit.
Wolves in sheep attire?
While there are always unexpected turnarounds in an eSports tournament, a certain team in this tournament almost created a new definition for the term underdog!
Team Red Notice truly did live up to their name and waved a huge red notice in the face of our champions in the semi-finals round, almost halting their climb entirely!
While their previous matches showcased decent skill and steady gameplay strategies, they were never expected to be an obstacle for Icy Paradise.
Surpassing expectations however, Team Red Notice displayed a surprising leap in their performance during their second match against the reigning fan favorites of that time. While this was still acceptable, what came as an absolute shock was the fact that the victory was overwhelmingly in the favor of Team Red Notice with a score of 26 – 2!
Although Icy Paradise reclaimed their loss in the following game and won the overall match, it must have no doubt been a wake up call that no team should ever be underestimated.
Definitely NOT Just a Cutie!
There is still that old belief among certain circles that girl gamers have no place when up against their male counterparts.
But guess what? One of the most dominating players in the IPLAY Frozen Summit Championship was actually a female gamer named Just a Cutie!
Playing the Mage role in Bhutan eSports, she was undoubtedly one of the mainstays who carried the team all the way to the final stage.
Her outstanding skill with the Hero ‘Lunox’ was the most noticeable of all as she shredded her enemies asunder, employing all sorts of breathtaking strategies as she flitted around on the battlefield.
This leaves one in wonder whether she intentionally named herself so to fool her enemies to think she was ‘just a cutie’ when in truth it was something else hidden underneath!
The ICY Legacy
Having climbed up all the way from a mediocre Bhutanese team to becoming the runner ups at the IESF Asian Qualifiers, team Icy Paradise was quite well-known and were hailed as fan favorites from the very beginning of the tournament.
Their fame is spread not only in Bhutan but other nearby regions as well, consisting of a truly formidable lineup of players who impeccably play their roles in every single game.
It was smooth sailing for the team all the way up to the semi-finals where they had a more difficult battle. Still managing to overcome that obstacle as well, they moved on to the final stage to face off against Bhutan eSports.
It was at this point when that team Icy truly started to feel the trepidation. Their first match against Bhutan eSports was an unexpected failure, giving them an unprecedented amount of pressure as they played the following games.
In spite of this, however, team Icy Paradise managed to secure three consecutive victories in the following matches, showing both spectators and their opponents that their reputation was not undeserved.
And thus, Icy Paradise manages to retain their reign as the best competitive Mobile Legends team in Bhutan.
The Potential
One special characteristic that everyone recognized from the IPLAY Frozen Summit Championship is that Bhutan as a country can also nurture great eSports athletes.
Not only are their existing players already prepared to face off at the global stage, but there is also unimaginable potential lying dormant among the Bhutanese player base just waiting to be unleashed as evidenced by the rise of team Red Notice themselves.
With this tournament being only a precursor to what is to come in the future, the eSports industry in Bhutan can be said to be at the brink of an explosive eruption that will allow the competitive eSports players within the nation to reach heights unimagined.
DoMedia