Esport

Saigon Phantom of Việt Nam wins Arena of Valor Premier League 2023, beating Bacon Time of Thailand 4-1 in the grand finale on July 23 in Bangkok. Photo Cao Thủ Liên Quân

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam's Saigon Phantom e-sports team won the Arena of Valor Premier League 2023 on July 23 in Bangkok, Thailand.

The national top team defeated Thailand's Bacon Time 4-1 in the grand finale, a fine dish of revenge following their loss to the Thai team last year.

Arena of Valor is a multiplayer battle arena game, with participants competing in matches lasting 12 to 18 minutes on average, aiming to destroy turrets on the map.

This year, the tournament featured the fourteen top teams from Thailand and Việt Nam who were divided and faced each other in two groups. The top four teams from each group proceeded to the playoffs.

Coming from Group A, Saigon Phantom initially didn't show much promise, qualifying for the playoffs in third place.

Defending champions Bacon Time had an extraordinary run and ended their group stage in the top position undefeated.

However, Saigon Phantom showed a brilliant comeback as they won every match in the playoffs, defeating Valencia CF in the quarter-finals and V Gaming in the semi-finals.

In the upper bracket final, the team beat Bikertopia Esports, who were pushed to the lower bracket final, for a berth in the grand finale.

In the meantime, Bacon Time showed dominance and again faced Bikertopia Esports in the lower bracket final. Beating Bikertopia Esports with an amazing scoreline of 4-0, Bacon Time qualified for the grand finale where they lost 4-1 to Saigon Phantom.

Saigon Phantom brought home US$200,000 as the champions and the team's Lai Bâng was voted the MVP of the final with a bonus of $7,000.

Whereas, Bacon Time earned $100,000 as the first runners-up. Bikertopia Esports remained in third place like last year, taking home $70,000.

The Arena of Valor Premier League 2023 is a Major Arena of Valor series, organised by Garena and Timi Studios. The tournament is the mid-season major for 2023. VNS