WGL APAC-Asia Week 4 Recaps

The first game of the Gold Series matches began on Himmelsdorf. As soon as it started, PVP systematically and gradually isolated their opponents in to the North West end of the map, which was only a stone's throw away from Aces’ own spawning point and base capture circle. Batman and Robin were pushing the eastern end of the map towards the spawn point of their opponents. The strategy that PVP Super Friends used to pile in on the base capture point of NVIDIA Aces was superb, allowing them to focus-fire on the correct tanks and quickly claim victory, putting them up one point.

Despite the initial loss, game number 2 on Mines was an incredible come back for the Aces, as they pounced on a severely weakened Batman and took his AMX 13 90 out of the game early on. The rest of the PVP Super Friends crumbled and fell as the engagement at the center hill was becoming increasingly favored for the Aces, earning the Vietnamese team a match equaliser.

In game number 3 on Cliffs, we saw both sides trying to play very conservatively. Turning into a draw with a lot of hot-headed exchanges at the end of it. The final game between PVP Super Friends and NVIDIA Aces ended in a draw on the map Ensk, with both teams possessing an end score of 3-3, earning themselves 1 point each.

Match 1 Winner

DRAW

PVP Super Friends 3:3 NVIDIA Aces

The first game played out on Mines was taken very smoothly by Team Efficiency, with very few losses towards the end of the game. Game number 2 played on Prokhorovka also became an absolute slaughter for T-E. With such easy victories, it would not be too far-fetched to proclaim them as the winners of this match-up.

Unfortunately for them, the tables were about to turn; game number 3 on Cliffs was where we saw the beginnings of a comeback. This time, Charlotte Tiger chose four AMX 13 90s, a direct contrast to the heavy tank lineup from Team Efficiency. Using their mobility and agility to their advantage, Charlotte Tiger swiftly brought the score back to 2:1.

Desperate to secure another victory and win the match, Team Efficiency pulled out a dangerous strategy in game number 4 on Ensk which required them to split their tanks. However, this style of play backfired on Team Efficiency when Charlotte Tiger took advantage of the divide to destroy them one by one, drawing them into a 2:2 tie.

The final game on Steppes, the least seen map in the entire tournament, resulted in a draw for both sides, meaning that both teams got one point at the end of the series. Ths concludes the end of the first day, with both matches ending in a stalemate.

Match 2 Winner

DRAW

Charlotte Tiger 3:3 T-E

The first game on Mines bore witness to a tactic very rarely employed in tournament play: Intense Honking sent an AMX 13 90 to the far eastern side of the map to give them more adequate vision of just what NUMB had in mind. As time dragged on, it became more and more clear that the game was going to end in a draw. Although the final 45 minutes of the game saw action with both sides taking fights, no victory was had for either side, converting the score at the end of this game into 1:1.

Game number 2 on Ruinberg started off with a disconnect for one side that prompted a remake. Although both teams now had a chance to rethink their strategy during the downtime, their play styles were only affected slightly when the game was re-initiated preceeding a frantic back-and-forth capture war coming from both of our SEA teams. In the end, however, there was a draw and the end score was 2:2 in a somewhat suspenseful fashion.

Game number 3 was played out on Himmelsdorf. Initially, we saw NUMB playing their North-side spawn advantage. After spotting their movements however, Intense Honking immediately doubled back and tried to brute-force their way in to a capture and used their Final T-1 Cunningham to camp to the last second as it became clear that they could not attain victory in their tank fight. The set ends 3:3 with both sides getting a draw.

Match 1 Winner

DRAW

Intense Honking 3:3 NUMB

In the first game on Mines, the NightEagles lost both of their T1 Cunninghams towards the middle of the game, which meant that if they wanted to spot their opponents, they would have to use one of their Tier 8 tanks. As the game dragged on however, both sides continued to play their picks and neither side budged. Game one ended in a draw and put both teams at 1:1.

Game number 2 on Prokhorovka was certainly the highlight of this series, as we saw the NightEagles take a more well-rounded composition while ELONG fielded four AMX 13 90s and one T69 in addition to their two T-1 Cunninghams. The more armored composition was no match for the tactics employed by ELONG, as ELONG diced them up while they were in transit to the far eastern hill. As a result, the one point advantage landed in ELONG's pocket.

The third and final game was on Cliffs. ELONG once again went in with the same tank compositions as in game number 2, with the main difference being an addition of an AMX 50 100. This crucial selection allowed ELONG to catch the NightEagles completely out of position when the latter misread their situation and rushed to the west end of the map. Even so, it was still entirely possible for Nighteagles to pull off a victory with their opposing team at 3 Tier VIII tanks and a T1 Cunningham, while they had only 3 tier VIIIs remaining. Despite that, the NightEagles unfortunately failed to decide on a course of action with only 4 minutes left on the clock and allowed their opponents to secure a victory. With an end score of 3:2, ELONG takes three points, solidifing their position in the Gold Series.

Match 2 Winner

ELONG 3:2 GASHPLUS_NightEagles