Mtel Lion City
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| Full name | Mäusch Telecom Lowënstadt Gaming |
|---|---|
| Nicknames | Lion City |
| Short name | MTLS |
| Founded | April 27, 2018 |
| League | Bahian Continental Avatar League (BCAL) |
| Division | Mauchan Division |
| Region | Bahia |
| Colors | Red and White |
| Owner | Wilfred Beno |
| Head coach | Jezaga Zemhinou |
| Manager | Jezaga Zemhinou |
| Mascot | Lion |
| Members | 8 |
| Main sponsor | Mtel |
The Mtel Lion City (Weranian: Mtel Lowënstadt), officially the M.Telcom Lion City Gaming (Weranian: M.Telecom Lowënstadt Gaming), is a professional esports team based in Nambabi, Maucha. With humble beginnings in a shared dorm close to the University of Nambabi, the 5 original members were all Challenger tier players of [Avatar (video game)|Avatar] and decided to enter a local amateur league organized by students. Their performance called the attention of multiple sponsors, including M.Telecom and L&L Investment Group that, in 2018, helped turning the team into the most successful esports team in Maucha. Mtel Lion City is a current participant and a finalist in the 2021 Avatar World Championship.
History
Formation
E-sports only relatively recently became popular in the Arucian. Various clubs began hosting tournaments for games such as Avatar in the early 2010s, and as time progressed and gaming became much more widely available, the number of esporting players increased. After the first Avatar World Championship in 2013, the game increased rapidly in popularity, which eventually saw the creation of the West Arucian division of the Asteria Inferior regional league for Avatar. With the creation of this never division, the clubs eventually began having players play internationally in competitions throughout Asteria Inferior. However, these clubs never found much success, and were generally outclassed by the countries which already had a stronger presence in the game, such as players from Satucin. Asteria Superior was also one of the weakest leagues internationally. Even still, no club from the Arucian ever won the regional championship for Asteria Inferior. Within the West Arucian, several gaming clubs were more notable than others, such as Imagua's Thunderbolts, led by Lyonel Thompson, and the Goldenrods, led by Toby Williams, as well as Sainte-Chloé's Flammifers, which had Camille Leroy. These teams began to fomulate well rounded players who became skilled with the game. However, the clubs were mostly casual, and there was not any who played on a professional level.
With the development of talent already underway and an untapped market in esporting, almost immediately after the World Championships in 2019, the Imaguan Bank of the Orient decided to sieze the chance and fund a team professionally. The Bank of the Orient was going through corruption scandals at the time, and saw the benefits of promoting its image positively. The Bank organized tryouts to find the best players to make a team which could be a contender for the Avatar World Championships. In the end, the team ended up drafting 5 of the biggest names in the local Avatar industry, most notably Raymond Delacroix, who was chosen as the team's leader. The team was initially comprised of three Imaguans, with Lyonel Thompson and Toby Williams being experienced mainstays in the Arucian Avatar community and Ethan Hudson being a young a promising new talent, and two Chloéois players, which besides Delacroix included the well respected but quiet Camille Leroy. In addition to the players, Bart Derasmo, who was one of the first players to play Avatar in the Arucian and an early promoter of the game, was brought on to coach the team. These five marked the first professional esports players in the West Arucian.
2020 Season
Although too late to preform in the 2019 season, the team began immediate preperations for the 2020 season, working on training together as a team. Under Delacroix's leadership, the team quickly clicked together, seeing marked success on the field against early competitors throughout the 2020 season. The funding from the Bank of the Orient allowed for the players to dedicate their time to playing together and improving, playing against both teams from Asteria Inferior but also engaging in exhibition matches against more notable teams from Asteria Superior. The team quickly was propelled to the forefront of the Asterian Avatar scene, and was regarded as the first Arucian team with a serious chance of performing well at the international level. Their successful play during the 2020 season earned them a spot at the Asteria Inferior regional championships, where they swept the competition and walked away victorious and with a garunteed spot to the Avatar World Championships in Kesselbourg City.
Despite their success on the regional level, the Angels were regarded as underdogs, as Asteria Inferior had been one of the poorest performing leagues in the world and the Angels were still unknown to most of the world. However, the team had a very successful start, upsetting longtime powerhouse the Les Amateurs in the first round of the championships. However, as the tournament progressed, they began to have more difficulties, ending the tournament on a 6-5 record and being forced into tiebreakers. They managed to win their tiebreakers and secured fifth place in the elimination round, which meant that they were in danger of elimination every round against the higher-seeded teams. To the world's surprise, the Angels manage to win the next three rounds, narrowly making it to the final round against the Amathian SilverknightS. In the finals of the World Championship, they were able to beat the SilverknightS 3 times, but were bested in game seven, earning them second place in the tournament.
The World Championship thrust the team into the international spotlight, as despite just a recent formation the team had found remarkable success at the tournament, the first time an Asterian Inferior team had advanced that far in the tournament. This success also greatly expanded interest in Avatar to the West Arucian, particularly Sainte-Chloé and Imagua and the Assimas, and increased revenue sales for the Bank of the Orient. In the off-season, the team engaged in publicity events and charitable work to solidify their reputation and also garner future interest in the esport on a wider scale.
Recent Status
Before the beginning of the 2021 season, the Angels, under Derasmo's decision, replaced the old Bot Roamer, 29 year-old Lyonel Thompson, with the younger Chloéois Louis Lejeune, a move which caused some controversy in the team as was disliked by several members of the team. Lejueune was a talented player and highly regarded in the Avatar scene, however, he was also known for having temperamental issues and other problems. Despite initial reluctance, the team was able to work well together, replicating the same success they had had the previous year on the local and regional level. After another successful season, they again dominated the Asteria Inferior championship, pushing them onwards again to the world championship in Bagabiada in Dezevau.
Unlike the previous year, where the team was unknown and unproven, the Angels were considered a force to be reckoned with and a likely contender for the championship. The Angels pushed far ahead, winning their first five consecutive games and ultimately losing only 2 games in the Round Robin phase, putting them at a high 9-2 record. Thus they were ranked first in the elimination round, giving them an automatic bye in the eights and only requiring them to play in the quarters. After beating Mtel Lion City in the quarters, they earned another bye round until the finals.