Wolves Esports are the protagonists of Masters Toronto

For the team that was widely considered the worst coming into Masters Toronto, China’s Wolves Esports simply won’t go away. And now, beyond just surviving through the Swiss stage, they’re beating number one seeds and setting up an upper bracket run. At this moment, Wolves are the protagonists in Toronto.

Swiss run a surprise, but explainable

It’s no secret that Wolves’ Swiss stage run was a surprise; they were all but written off as a side destined to crash out early in Toronto before a map had been played. The team showed fight in their initial 2-0 loss to Sentinels, praised, perhaps a tad patronisingly, for their valiant efforts with the thought that it was the best that they had to show at the tournament.

Then their 2-0 victory over Team Heretics — eliminating the EMEA side — made people take notice. But even though they were massive underdogs, Heretics’ own struggles in high-stakes moments seemed to add explainable context — the win was huge for Wolves, but there were extenuating circumstances. They didn’t earn it.

Their subsequent win against Bilibili could also be shrugged off. BLG, like Wolves, were thought of as one of the weaker attendees in Toronto, the only difference is that they actually performed at their perceived level. This allowed Wolves to continue their momentum into the series and claim a comfortable win to move on to the playoffs.

The SiuFatBB effect

While it could’ve been possible to brush off Wolves’ historic run in the organisation’s first-ever global event, what could not be ignored were the vibrant characters who have made the side fan favourites.

In-game leader Pong “SiuFatBB” Ka-hei has brought impeccable vibes to the tournament, standing in celebration at every opportunity. If there’s a single player who has been the star of Toronto so far, it’s him.

His teammate Liang “Lysoar” Youhao’s celebrations have become famous too, with his preference to modestly stand and stare across the stage oddly humanizing.

RRQ are the Wolves’ latest prey at Masters Toronto

Finally, a result impossible to ignore was Wolves’ playoff win against Pacific first seed Rex Regum Qeon. Wolves again were underdogs, though, for once, a win for the side didn’t seem outside the realms of possibility.

Still, few would’ve expected a 2-0 in Wolves’ favour, as was the final result. RRQ’s Duelist Maksim “Jemkin” Batorov — tipped to be a breakout star at the tournament — had minimal impact on the server. Instead, it was Wolves’ own Duelist Tyler “juicy” Aeria who was the standout performer. The Singaporean player racked up 40 kills across the two maps while boasting an impressive 268 ACS — the most in the match by some distance.

Gen.G next in the upper bracket

Wolves’ ongoing run sees them continue through uncharted terrority, each win having been more impactful than the last. Now they’ll face Gen.G in their next upper bracket clash, a matchup with a side that holds massive global pedigree having both won Masters Shanghai and finished runners-up in Madrid last year.

But the gulf in expectations only seems to work in Wolves’ favour. The side plays without pressure, while their opponents on the other side of the stage have pressure in spades. Instead of pressure, Wolves’ gain momentum and, crucially, their bonds strengthen. Liu “Spring” Chun-ting explained it best in the team’s post-match press conference:

“All the teammates, we stick together, we get united, and we completely trust each other. This could be the key why we made the breakthrough. We have the ambition to continue our journey in Masters.”