Masters Toronto had some of the most epic moments in VCT history. Whether it was Paper Rex lifting a long-awaited trophy or FNATIC proving they still were a team to be reckoned with, the event did not disappoint. Arguably though, one of the most exciting storylines was watching a Chinese team which was making their debut on the global stage — Wolves Esports. And what a debut it was.
New global stars
Wolves took down teams like Gen.G and Heretics before eventually being knocked out by FNATIC and placing third. But their path to this finish wasn’t just excellent Valorant, the team put on a show on stage, with players like SiuFatBB taking full advantage of the limelight to catapult his team into stars. It wasn’t just their gameplay but also their attitudes that gained them a rapid following quickly. Being under the aegis of a famous football club probably didn’t hurt their popularity either.
After their third place finish, despite the loss, the team sounded optimistic about the future. In the post-match press conference after their elimination from Masters Toronto, SiufatBB said, “We have proved we have the potential to reach higher and higher. Hopefully after this tournament, we can improve to reach our peak and to prove to ourselves and the audience that our good performance is not a one-time thing.”
Wolves struggle in Stage 2 of VCT China
After their podium finish at Toronto, there were high expectations from both the home crowd and internationally to see what Wolves would do during VCT China Stage 2. The draws started well with them avoiding EDG and BLG in their groups. However, their opening game against FPX was an absolute disaster, with Wolves losing 0-2, and both maps being dominant wins for FPX. Their second game the next week was up against All Gamers, and once again, it was a 0-2 loss with the map scores somehow being worse for Wolves.
Game three, the middle of the stage saw them face off against Xi Lai Gaming, the winner of the previous stage. This game was also a 2-0 win for Wolves’ opponents, but a minor consolation was that the scores looked better compared to the previous week. The team’s head coach, Fayde, spoke about their accumulated fatigue from EWC and Masters Toronto, and said, “The current meta and changes to the map pool are also extremely challenging for us as we recently lost two of our best maps in the map rotation, and we’re reworking on our map pool with very limited time. We’re still learning how to adapt and find the right balance in this patch.”
The next week had their penultimate game of Stage 2, versus Dragon Ranger Gaming. The series went to all three maps but Wolves found themselves the win, thanks to Spring and Lysoar both dropping sixty-plus frags over all three maps. This kept Wolves in the running for Playoffs and kept their chances for Champions alive. All they had to do was pray that All Gamers lost their game versus Dragon Ranger Gaming, and luckily for them they did.
Their final game, a must-win to qualify for playoffs was against Nova Esports, the only team in the group who hadn’t found a win yet. But after a hard-fought series that once again went to three maps, Wolves were defeated by Nova, and that ended their shot at heading to VCT CN Stage 2 Playoffs. SiufatBB, posting after their loss, said, “Our performance, discipline, tactics, and form were incredibly different. let everyone down time and time again. As a captain and IGL, I did not lead the team to victory. I’m so sorry…”
A glimmer of hope remains for Wolves Esports
It’s not entirely over for Wolves Esports this year though. Since qualification for VALORANT Champions is also based off of the Championship Points accumulated over the year as well as through the playoffs, there is a small chance that they can still qualify for the last VCT international of the year in Paris.
BLG, XLG, and EDG have already surpassed the maximum amount of points Wolves can get this year since the latter did not qualify for the Stage 2 playoffs. The playoff finalists will automatically qualify for Champs, which voids their points, and the third team that does not make it through playoffs would take the third of China’s slots.
The fourth-place slot is still open to Wolves, provided that Trace Esports do not make the top four and DRG does not place in the top three. If DRG do place third, they would tie with Wolves and take the slot since the tiebreaker will depend on who placed higher in Stage 2, giving DRG the win.
While it is a long shot, it doesn’t seem entirely hopeless, since all three teams with more points than Wolves had qualified for Toronto and look to be in decent form, being either first or second in their respective groups. The wild card would be the performances of Trace and DRG in the playoffs, which will ultimately decide the fate of the team. With things out of their hands, all Wolves can do is wait and watch. Their head coach, Fayde has promised to “hate-watch” some teams as he and the rest of the squad await their fate. They haven’t entirely given up hope though.
After all, Champions 2023’s winners, Evil Geniuses also had a similar situation, with their qualification for playoffs, and eventually Champions, dependent on bottom-seed MIBR defeating 100 Thieves, that too with their assistant coach subbing in. However, MIBR, against odds, pulled it off, and the rest is VCT history. Perhaps, if the cards fall their way, Wolves Esports might also gain that opportunity and have another chance to lift a second trophy for China. Only time will tell, but at least the Wolves aren’t entirely devoid of hope or optimism.
“Failure is a necessary step on the road to success. From this year’s VCT kickoff until now, I’ve learned so many lessons and experiences. Wait for me, I’ll be back. You can’t control the wind, but you can adjust your sails,” said SiufatBB.
