Valorant
What if I tell you right now, within the Valorant GC professional scene, there is an undefeated team this year? This team currently has a win-loss record of 27-0 this year. What if I tell you that this team has played with the most unique team compositions you will see within Tier 1 Valorant? This team is none other than Team SMG GC. As the Game Changers 2023 Asia Pacific: Open 3 has begun this week, let's look at Team SMG GC, a team dominating the Game Changers Circuit in 2023. In this article, we will be addressing them as Team SMG.
Who Is Team SMG GC?
(Image Credits: Twitter @TeamSMGofficial)Team SMG has been a part of professional esports since 2017. Fielding rosters in various games, such as Dota 2 and PUBG. But their Valorant Game Changers team has taken the world by storm and is currently ranked as the 5th best team in the Game Changers League. Their roster consists of the following players.
- Abigail “Kohaibi” Kong (Captain & IGL)
- Odella “Enerii ” Abraham
- Alexy “Alexy” Francisco
- Kelly “shirazi” Jaudian
- Camille “Kamiyu” Enriquez
- Ryona “Tarathiel” Tan
Kohaibi is the IGL and the primary flex player with the team. The primary focus is on the sentinel role of Killjoy, but on specific maps, she would play Skye. Known for her mid-round calls, she is a force to watch out for.
Next is Enerii, who is the primary duelist for the team. Her main agent in the game is Reyna, but she doesn't shy away from agents such as Jett and Raze. Her methodical aggression is one of her key traits, which can be seen in her average combat score being over 200 for each agent.
On the other hand, Alexy is the secondary duelist for the team. Her skill and traits allow her to help initiate her team while entering the site.
Shirazi is the primary controller within the team but recently showed her skill in Chamber as well. Using Chamber, we have seen how mechanically gifted she is with her aim and positioning.
Last but not least, we have Kamiyu, the team's initiator. Recently, we have also seen her test her skills on Harbor.
One thing about each player on this team is their flexibility to play various characters on the highest level. Due to this, there have been quite a few unique team compositions that we have gotten to see them play in. One, in particular, was on the maps of Haven and Pearl against Global Esports in the Upper Semi-finals of the GC Open. On this team, Team SMG went up with a composition consisting of 4 sentinels and Harbor. On the map of Pearl, it seemed that they were trolling their opponents. Their team composition consisted of 4 Duelists and Astra. The most shocking part of this matchup was that they won 8 rounds on defense with this lineup.
The Lead Up to the 27-0 Unbeaten Streak
Team SMG is on a piping-hot streak at the time this article is being written. They are currently unbeaten in 2023 in the Valorant Game Changers league. It does seem like there is no stopping them this season, the APAC GC Open. Their story of being this good at the game did start from some tough times. They lost in the VCT APAC Elite last year to the first X10 Sapphire in the Upper Semi-Finals. After which, they lost to ZOL Meraki in the lower brackets. This loss did feel like a major setback for most of the organization. Everyone other than Kohaibi and Tara left the roster, which resulted in Team SMG looking for new talent.
It is important to recognize the scouting department of an organization. Due to their foresight, they could build a new roster consisting of young talent and veterans. Until now, Team SMG has won each of the Grand Finals of the APAC GC Open, defeating the likes of Full Sense as well as Orangutan X. Currently, they are taking part in the APAC GC Open 3, with their recent victory being against Deviant Topaz in the upper quarter-finals. During this Odella "enerii" Abraham ended the game with an ACS of 359 with a KDA of 46/13/8. Team SMG, during this game, just lost six rounds in total.
Why Have They Been Overlooked?
Team SMG is one of the best teams in the world to watch play Valorant. The amount of confidence they ooze during each game is a breath of fresh air. They don't mind taking risks and playing in unorthodox team compositions. They do so because they believe in their skill and as a team. They are currently just participating in the Game Changers league, so they don't have the same exposure. Only the playoff games within the APAC GC Open are broadcasted live. Due to this, the group stage part of the tournament isn't available to watch. They are among the most talented teams we have seen play Valorant on the highest level.
(Image Credits: Twitter @TeamSMGofficial)Many would even state their display of dominance is due to them playing in Game Changers and not Challengers. It won't be a wild guess that we could see them participate in both the Challengers League and Game Changers next season. Only time will tell if this prediction comes true, but until then, we must observe and enjoy Team SMG's take on Valorant.
