After a wild series against GAM Esports today at the 2023 Mid-Season Invitational, Movistar R7 have etched their name in the annals of competitive League of Legends esports for the Latin American region.
By beating the Vietnamese representatives on May 5, R7 became the first LLA team to win a best-of series at an international League tournament, making it a momentous occasion for the fans in attendance and those watching at home online. It was also only the second series of the event to go a full three games while being a bloody mess with a combined 104 kills across both teams.
The later stages of their matches were far from clean, but R7 had a clear focus on the bottom lane to get their 19-year-old AD carry Lorenzo “Ceo” Tévez ahead of the competition. He eventually carried the team to victory on Xayah as he found great angles to pull her feathers back and lock down multiple enemies. He ended the series with 18 kills, 18 assists, and some great early-game stats.
Although the LLA has been a standing region since 2019, Latin America has been competing in LoL esports since 2015 with the LAN and LLN. Although the LLA has one of the most passionate fan bases, this region has typically never gone too far at international tournaments and is usually eliminated in the play-in stage of whichever event it attends.
This year, however, they’ve finally broken the mold, especially with the new format Riot Games introduced to MSI this year. With best-of series being featured from the first day onward, teams have an opportunity to show off their adaptability and flexibility in ways that could not be seen in simple best-of-one play.
Related: MSI 2023: Scores, standings, and results
The VCS, on the other hand, has fallen far from grace over the last few international events. After missing multiple tournaments due to travel restrictions, the region has regressed in level after becoming a small underdog favorite back in 2017. A lack of practice against tougher opponents has clearly had an effect on the region’s ability on the global stage, but they’ll look to bounce back and put up a better fight when Worlds season comes around later this year.
