APAC, the kingdom of underdogs

Asia Pacific's Monthly Qualifier did not disappoint. With a record 277 teams competing, and the qualifiers stretching to Day 2 for the first time, we were bound to see some epic matches. Before the Monthly Qualifiers, the most well-known teams would include the likes of Revenant Esports, Crazy Raccoon, Natus Vincere, F/A Nai Dug, Coco Loco, Monarchy, Never Back Down, Delay Esports, 4 Button, and Octopus Primes - i.e. the most accomplished Asian players. However, of the 10 teams named, only 4 qualified, with the other four all having players who will now be entering their debut broadcast Monthly Finals. 

Most notable of the shock exits was Natus Vincere - who had two-time World champion Achapi on their side. Considered a Worlds contender, it was a massive surprise to see them go out so early to Team S1, who ended up qualifying themselves for the Monthly Finals, causing NAVI to make some changes. The next biggest team to miss out was Coco Loco - Response, x9Jay, and Hiroshii, who dominated the Southeast Asian subregion last year under the name of Team Flash. Joining them in the big absentees is F/A Nai Dug, another team with a World champion (Kuru), who did not even make the top 24.

But who are these teams who have seemingly come out of nowhere to beat everybody? Well, Team S1, HOW, Angelic, and Gohan Oishi were tipped to have some of the most promising players in the region before the Qualifier - but players who never really got a chance to shine due to latency issues. Now, with a more favourable server location, they have truly shown their potential. Let's have a closer look at all the teams that qualified:

1) Never Back Down (formerly 窮鼠猫を噛む) | Melty, Milkreo, Shu

This new roster filled with experience and talent has made its mark in the MQs in this year qualifying from a rough bracket. With a 2-1 victory vs ANTIFRAGILE (now Angelic) and a 2-0 vs NAVI in the Upper Bracket, they secured their Monthly Finals spot, with relative ease. 

2) Crazy Raccoon | Moya, sitetampo, Tensai, Relyh (C)

These guys' achievements speak for themselves. They faced a few decent teams, but they were no match for their mettle, and qualified for the Monthly Finals without a single set dropped, showing their intentions for the year to come.

3) HOW (formerly PanDing) | Killer34, Nqrse, Prime, Sago

This is a team that has a very high potential as well as having a very good synergy. With the experience of World Finalist Prime, they were able to waltz through the Upper Bracket to the Monthly Finals. With a significant ping advantage, expect them to cause some upsets this Saturday!

4) Revenant Esports | Ken-G, Menmi, Sergeant Clash, Kizuki (A)

With an Indian and 2 Japanese players, this roster connecting the ends of APAC went into the qualifiers with high expectations and delivered. They only dropped 1 set in a very close match vs Feasible Gaming in round 5, nearly dropping the ball but managing to clutch up in the end and moving ahead to the last UB round where they beat Team S0 to comfortably secure their monthlies spot. How far will they be able to continue with the ping disadvantage on the Monthly Final stage? Find out tomorrow at 06:00 am UTC!

5) Octopus Primes | BadI, Tenma, Troye, Vex

Octopus Primes had a fairly unlucky Upper Bracket, as they faced the mighty Crazy Raccoon in just the 3rd round, and though there were a few close moments, they weren't enough to secure a set. Meanwhile, in the Lower Bracket, they eliminated a few high-profile teams, such as Delay esports, and a few retired pros in CZK, Instinct, and Meow. They comfortably moved on to the Monthly Finals, where they have a chance to get revenge vs CR.

6) Angelic (formerly ANTIFRAGILE) | Kanga, Kazumin, Mizy, Soda

After losing to Never Back Down in Round 5 of the Upper Bracket, they went on a crazy Lower Bracket run. There they defeated F/A Nai Dug, Feasible Gaming and Delay esports, dropping just 1 set across the three matches, to secure their Monthly Final spot. After being consistently a Tier 2 team for a few years, their newly found ping advantage will give them hope on the big stage, though they are the underdogs.

7) Team S1 | Creo, GIZALINE, TERI, WooHyeok

Team S1 became the first full Korean team to qualify for an APAC Monthly Final since 2020, when SK Gaming Miracle, another team containing WooHyeok, qualified. Now he is back with some new teammates, and despite a disappointing Day 1, they were much stronger on Day 2, where they swept NAVI and then got revenge on Team S2, the team that knocked them down to the Lower Bracket. Their matchup against Never Back Down will be a very interesting one, to say the least.

8) Gohan Oishi | Dudus, Mira, sanikama, Stardragon, AarenSis (C)

A team of good friends with equally good consistency. They have been on the rise for a few years as players, and Mira and Dudus have experience in Monthly Finals before. After losing to HOW in Round 6 of the Upper Bracket, they managed to clutch up and qualify from the Lower Bracket. Now, with 3/4 players in Taiwan for better communication and ping, they look to upset Revenant Esports - though it will be no easy feat.