2020 PUBG Continental Series Charity Showdown Asia Preview
After months of planning, waiting, cursing at the pandemic and replanning, the time has come for the first official event of the 2020 competitive season in PUBG Continental Series Charity Showdown. This is a first of planned three PCS events, which will be played in four regions — Asia, Asia Pacific, Europe and North America. This time the focus comes on the Asia division, which will feature the top teams from South Korea, China, Chinese Taipei and Japan battling for a 200,000 USD prize pool, with 50% being donated to a charity chosen by a winning team.
Tournament Details
Date — May 15, 17, 22, 24 ; 19:00 Seoul / 12:00 CEST / 3:00 Los Angeles
Matchday Map Pool — Erangel, Erangel, Sanhok, Miramar, Miramar (4x5 matches per day)
Ruleset — SUPER (Standard and Universal PUBG Esports Ruleset)
Prize Pool — 200,000 USD, distributed as follows:
1st Place — 25,000 USD + 100,000 USD to donate for a charity of team’s choice
2nd Place — 15,000 USD
3rd Place — 12,000 USD
4th Place — 10,000 USD
5th Place — 8,000 USD
6th Place — 6,000 USD
7th Place — 5,000 USD
8th Place — 4,000 USD
9th-10th Place — 3,000 USD each
11th-12th Place — 2,000 USD each
13th-14th Place — 1,500 USD each
15th-16th Place — 1,000 USD each
Additionally the top three South Korean teams in the tournament will qualify to the PCS Asia Series 1 / June Split, with remaining Korean teams having to play in the PCS Korea Qualifier.
PCS Asia Charity Showdown Streams
English: https://www.twitch.tv/playbattlegrounds ; https://www.youtube.com/pubgesports
Korean: http://play.afreecatv.com/pubg/null ; https://www.twitch.tv/pubgkorea/
Japanese: https://www.twitch.tv/pubg_japan_official ; https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9exSwJJO0ayLWSqo9-8dXg/
Chinese: https://www.douyu.com/100 ; https://www.huya.com/660004 ; https://egame.qq.com/449605280
Taiwanese: https://www.twitch.tv/playbattlegroundstw
As we take a look at the sixteen teams participating in the PCS Charity Showdown Asia, let’s give the floor to a long-time expert about the Asian scene and one of English commentators of PCS Asia in Clinton “Paperthin” Bader to give out his expectations about the teams.
Old Powerhouses
Gen.G
Roster : Pio, Loki, Aqua5, Inonix
Pattrick: The reigning Global Champions are set for the first major tournament after winning the big one in Oakland last November. Two of the members from PGC winning roster — a superstar in-game leader in Pio and second-line fragger in Loki — are now backed up by Inonix and Aqua5 in a reunion of the 2019 Nations Cup Team Korea. While Gen.G looks to make their mark as the PUBG’s dynasty they’re also the team to beat right now, which means that the entire PUBG esports scene, let alone Asia, are setting their sights on them.
Paperthin: With Gen.G, my biggest concern is not their cohesiveness as a team, they seem to have found that groove as we saw in the Battlegrounds Weekly Series. What worries me is them butting heads with Tianba in South George, and if, as some of the rumors I have been hearing are true, they will move drop locations to avoid confrontation. How will that affect them going forward? I assume not much as this team practices a lot and can fight with anyone, anywhere, at any time and have success if they are prepared. They 100% should be the favorites going into this event.
Four Angry Men (4AM)
Roster: We1less, xxxLu, Forever, Long
Pattrick: The team led and owned by Wei “We1less” Zhen looks to finally win an international title and get a revenge on Gen.G for denying them of the 2019 PGC crown. The last season’s core roster is back in action with one exception — Wang “ZGG01” Xin, which asked the team for a break due to a worsening mental and physical state. Replacing him in the starting roster will be Long “Long” Zong-Quan, a young prodigy returning to the esports scene due to turning 18 just a month ago.
Paperthin: 4AM is scary if Long proves to fill in well with their roster. Tons of big stage experience and players who can perform under pressure. No doubt they are one of the teams in the conversation for the best team in this event
OGN Entus (ENT)
Roster: Seongjang, Under, Indigo, kAyle
Pattrick: Rounding out the list of direct invitees is the fourth-place team of the PGC in OGN Entus. Even with a great 2019 season behind their belt, the legendary South Korean org is still yet to claim an international title. Heading into this season, OGN decided to minimize their biggest weakness — weaker firepower compared to the likes of other top teams — by replacing “YaKK” and “DoYa” with Park “Under” Sung-Chan.
Paperthin: OGN has been consistently decent in recent events, and Under has clearly been a big part of their continued success. He is their frontline/backline guy. You will see Under either leading the way or working the backline for OGN, trying to get kills along in those situations. Regardless, OGN is disciplined and Seongjang’s calls are still great, with Indigo and Kayle being highly competent players as well. Indigo may be one of the most underrated players in the world, in my opinion.
Infantry Clan (iFTY)
Roster: Boliang, dataiyang, L1nnn, Longskr, KKai
Pattrick: Even after a turnout in the team, Infantry Clan is returning to the global stage due to a 4th place finish in the 2020 PUBG Champions League (PCL) Spring Season. The main core, consisting of “Boliang”, “dataiyang” (previously Jiaoyang) and the clumsy boy in “L1nnnn” is coming back, but the big question is whether the team’s ace in Deng “Longskr” Ruilong will be returning to team after doing some questionable stuff, and having to sit at the bench during PCL Spring Playoffs.
Paperthin: If Longskr is there… this team is scary as hell. They played out of their minds in the PUBG Miracle Weekend exhibition matches of CN vs KR. Even if he is not there, they are still scary. Disciplined, mechanically gifted… This team should 100% be considered one of the top 5 teams at PCS Asia any way you shape it.
New Challengers
Element Mystic (EM)
Roster: Makne, K1nch, Lash, KiraV
Pattrick: The team led by Kim “Lash” Dong-Jun have been a talented mid-of-the-pack team throughout the 2019 season, but needed a decent firepower upgrade in order to challenge for the highest positions, which happened before the start of a new season as EM contracted Shin “Makne” Dong-Ju to the team. That and the team’s consistently great performance at Miramar have sent EM to the next level, leading to a 3rd-place finish in the PGS Korea and a spot in the PCS. However, whether EM will be able to challenge for the top spots there will highly depend on their performance over at Erangel and Sanhok.
Paperthin: EM is my “darkhorse” for PCS Asia, if you will. Insanely disciplined Makne has been a natural and fantastic addition to the team. They seemed to gel from day one with him, and have been strong the whole way. A team that will always rotate from the north, they seem comfortable with any circle in those situations, regardless of the map. A ton of credit has to go to Lash for having solid ideas on how to approach the game, and he has been a strong fragger for them as well.
Griffin (GRF)
Roster: Minsung, 2heart, 2tap, Asura
Pattrick: After uniting their two teams heading into the 2020, Griffin have became a force to reckon with in South Korea with their aggressive and heavy kill-dependent playstyle. While Griffin can still rely on a their strong GRF Black duo of Yu “2tap” Jae-Won and Sin “2heart” Hyeok-Jun, we’re also seeing the rise of Jo “Asura” Sang-Won and Kim “Minsung” Min-Sung, both of which bringing a major impact to the team.
Paperthin: Griffin is one of the best tactical teams in the world. Their team fighting ability is S class, for sure. They aren’t afraid to take a fight, and they also aren’t afraid to try and hold large amounts of territory early (especially on Miramar). Their sniping and up close fighting is strong. Sometimes they can get into bad situations because they don’t rotate safely or they take a fight that gets third-partied quickly and they suffer because of it. All that being said, because they are such a good fragging team, they can absolutely do well in a short form tournament, since high fragging teams tend to do well.
Luminous Stars (LStars)
Roster: 91Karl, Wnnn, Longdd, Monsters, Easy
Paperthin: Easily the hottest team in China right now, their ability to put themselves in good situations and navigate the Chinese lobbies is obviously top-notch. However, their ability to adapt to a big-stage, global lobby is yet to be seen. But do NOT sleep on this team.
Pattrick: It would’ve been crazy a month ago if someone predicted Luminous Stars to turn from barely making it to the PCL Spring Playoffs to winning the whole thing and turning into arguably the hottest team in China at the moment, but here we are. And while LStars still features two players from their Asia Invitational 2019 run, i.e. “Easy” and “Wnnn”, the huge force of the new roster comes from their new in-game leader in “91Karl” and an strong frontline fragger in “Longdd”. Speaking of big turnarounds….
Lao Yue Gou (LYG)
Roster: CRAZY112, Maps, Carrot, M1Go
Pattrick: …LYG did pretty much the same thing throughout the PCL Spring, going from being the last team qualified to the PCL Spring Playoffs to becoming the runnerups of the Chinese top league and winning the Douyu Gold Grand Prix Season 9 just a week later. In a similarity to OGN Entus, LYG’s strength comes from the player’s jack-of-all-stats abilities combining into a consistent team rather than from insane fragging skills from them.
Paperthin: LYG might have a tough time in this lobby. While they are smart and disciplined, they may lack the team fighting edge that a lot of teams in this event have, and when it comes to large events like this, fragging out is a big part of winning them. That being said, their versatility may prove to be a deciding factor for them as they don’t seem to be phased by being put in bad situations as much as some other teams.
Tianba
Roster: T1antian, LinShu, LuRen, m200, Future
Pattrick: After a what seemed like forever, one of the historically greatest team on the Chinese PUBG scene is returning to the international stage for the first time since the PGL PUBG 2018 Fall Invitational, back then under the SnakeTC banner. The strengths of Tianba comes from a mix of heavy-experienced, heavy-hitting duo of “T1antian” and “LinShu”, a frontline powerhouse in “LuRen” and a young support talent in “m200”. However the big challenge looming at them during the PCS will be what seems to be an imminent battle for South Georgopol against Gen.G.
Paperthin: This team is scary even when contesting drop locations. They are good fraggers and team fighters. What impresses me the most about Tianba is their unflappability. They seem to rebound well even when a game or two doesn’t go their way. And I wouldn’t be surprised if they win South George solely on their hardheadedness vs. actual ability to win fights against Gen.G there. You should not be sleeping on this team, especially if the circles on Mirarmar head south because they know how to work that part of the map.
VRLU Ghibli (VLG)
Roster: Lambu, Hikari, DAEVA, Spear, Plikhe
Pattrick: A recently-formed new superteam of KR PUBG in VRLU Ghibli have quickly taken their national stage by a storm, finishing 3rd in the Intel BSC 2020 Season 1 and taking the PGS Korea championship in March. And while VLG have been struggling to perform as well in recent weeks, it’ll be wrong to underestimate the team led by a monstrous IGL — Entry Fragger duo of Park “Lambu” Chan-Hyuk and Kim “Hikari” Dong-Hwan.
After dominating the Korea Qualifiers, this team has fallen off a cliff, other than their ability to bully 4AM out of school/apps. It’s hard to like this team going into this event, as whatever lightning struck for them has lost it’s energy. Lots of strong players from Korea, some with international experience, but it seems like they just can’t put it together these days. It would take a monumental turnaround for them to have a shot at winning this. Not outside the realm of possibility, but if their recent performances are any indication, PCS Asia should be rough sledding for them
Team Quadro (QDR)
Roster: Dlaks, Renba, Yacha, Yeowook
Pattrick: The eternal bridesmaid team of the Korean scene in Team Quadro have finally became a bride after finishing 4th in the PGS Korea, advancing to their first premier event in the team’s two-year existence in the process. While Quadro doesn’t have the fraggers on a level of Pio, Hikari or 2heart, they’re evening things out thanks to a great leadership from Yoon “Yeowook” Yeo-Wook and strong consistent firepower by Seo “Renba” Jae Young.
Paperthin: This is a feast or famine team, similar to Team Liquid but without the level of consistency. That being said, when they feast, they are capable of being one of the best teams in the world. You cannot count them out for this event at all. If they catch fire, they can not only win it, but dominate it. Yeowook continues to progress as a playcaller, and Renba has been an absolute nightmare for other teams at times. In my opinion, Renba is one of the top 5 best players in Korea right now, and based on the talent here in Korea, that is saying something.
Underdogs
Rush B
Roster: G9, Dabg, PaoPao, Silver
Pattrick: Coming to the PCS as the lowest seed from PCL is Rush B, which debuted in the Chinese top division after taking over the spot of Elephant. While the team have been struggling with their form consistency so far in their existence, their 1–2–3 punch from “G9”, “PaoPao” and “Dabg” shouldn’t be underestimated on the battlegrounds.
Paperthin: Strong fraggers on this team, but their rotations leave something to be desired. PaoPao comes to my mind as one of the top player in China, and you can’t discount them as being a team that can get hot. But, it would be a big surprise if they are in it going into the final day.
SunSister (SST)
Roster: Fhy, CrazySam, fiachan, Kendesu
Pattrick: After one of the closest Japan Series phases so far SunSister have proven once again why they’re the best team in the history of the Japanese scene, finishing at the top of PJC/ PJS for the seventh time. While the team made a major roster change after their 22nd place finish at the PGC, with Yuta “Fhy” Minami replacing Hirokazu “gabha” Sakamato and taking the role of in-game shot caller, most of the team’s success comes from the region’s top fragger in Sho “CrazySam” Akimoto, consistent firepower from Kazutaka “fiachan” Kurotaki and Yoshihisa “Kendesu” Yamada and team’s dominance over the rest of Japan at Miramar.
Paperthin: Consistency in their region has been a big part of their success, and Fhy has proven to adapt well to the Japanese lobbies. They rebounded well from a somewhat slow start, to come out and just barely eek out a victory and propel themselves to yet another season victory. This is a team that has shown glimpses of brilliance, notably out-dueling 4AM at the PGC last year in a relatively even situation, but the mechanics don’t seem to be nearly as crisp as KR and CN, so they need to keep working hard to catch up. That being said, they could surprise and end up as a top 5 team if they have a good couple of days.
Detonation Gaming White (DGW)
Roster: Melofo, Machao, Gokuri, SSeeS
Pattrick: DGW have just celebrated a one-year anniversary of their current roster, and it has to be said that the team had a rollercoaster run throughout it — from a PJS Season 3 title and 10th place in the MET Asia Series to being nearly relegated in the final PJS Grade 1 season of 2019 to finishing 2nd in both the PJS Winter Invitational and Phase 1 in the top division of PJS Season 5. While the team led by Yu “Machao” Masai is considered as one of the weakest teams heading into the PCS, all of their players are capable of stepping up and carrying DGW in the teamfights.
Paperthin: DGW is another feast of famine team. That being said, in my estimation, they are one of the best team fighting teams in Japan. They can take and win fights they shouldn’t. They have a knack for knowing how to get edges against other teams that are unorthodox. However, that ability can at times be their downfall as they are prone to try stuff that… is statistically inefficient. All that being said, I really can see this team having a strong weekend and finishing top 6. They were one of the few teams to hold their own against Gen.G at PWI, so I feel like they can come up with some magic if the stars align.
Global Esports Xsset (GEX)
Roster: ChiaWei1031, YanLi, Leo, MaoYe56, Kane
Pattrick: The finalists of the 2019 PGC have finally marked their place as the best team in the PUBG Master League after winning in the 2020 PML Invitational. Since their run in California the team went through two roster changes, as Alex Tan “Sophiya666” Boon Keung decided to leave the team in order to play in Europe, while Li “kane” Chi Hung have been moved to a substitute position. Replacing them in GEX is the former ace shooter of Nova Monster Shield and AHQ in Peng “YanLi” Yan-Li and Tsai “MaoYe56” Chia-Yeh.
Paperthin: After failing to qualify for the Onslaught League finals, and being overshadowed by their sister team GEX Ace, I am feeling really uncertain about GEX. ChiaWei is by far their best player, but they too often have to rely on him to get things done. Leo and YanLi occasionally show signs of life, but as a whole they seem to lack the consistency and rotational discipline to compete with a lobby of this caliber.
Team Curson (CRS)
Roster: MartianChun, SoMeTh1nG, PH111, dA
Pattrick: Team Curson rounds up the team list for the PCS Charity Showdown Asia after edging over more experienced Ahq, Team Sades (aka. ZADAK which was denied of a PGC spot due to underage issues) and GEX Ace (yes, GEX does have two teams in the PML…) to finish 2nd in the PML Invitational. And while the team led by “SoMeTh1nG” and “MartianChun” is considered amongst the underdogs in the tournament, they look to surprise the bigger names with a stable mindset and the fragging power of “PH111”.
Paperthin: I hate to say it, but they are my team that I consider to be the worst in this lobby. They are a ragtag group of guys who are really trying to make a push to be a strong competitive PUBG team, however they just can’t seem to get the wheels spinning. They were dreadful in the Onslaught League Season 4, as were GEX, and just seem to be lost in lobbies with strong teams. I would love to see them do well as they are completely unknown in the global scene, but I can’t expect much from what I have seen.
