S5 Gaming
 | |
| Full name | Samorspi 5 Gaming |
|---|---|
| Nicknames | Samorspi Bears |
| Founded | March 18, 2016 |
| League | WEAL |
| Region | West Euclea |
| Based in | Samistopol |
| Location | Soravia |
| Colors | Green and Brown |
| Head coach | Cheslav Ungern Kliment Smeshnoy |
| Manager | Kiril Narov |
| Championships | 2022 |
| Division titles | 2016, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023 |
| Mascot | Brown Bear |
| Members | 5 |
| Parent group | Samorspi |
S5 Gaming, officially Samorspi 5 Gaming, is a professional esports team based in Samistopol, Soravia. It was one of two teams founded by a joint Samorspi endeavor to create professional level Avatar teams taken from the member countries in 2016, alongside its regional rival Team Ace. Overseen by a commission appointed by the Samorspi, it holds tryouts to draw the best players from the consituent countries in Samorspi, but in turn has high performance expectations. Unlike Ace, which is sponsored and funded in great part by a private company, S5 is a completely public team and has remained so from its inception.
Having access to the best talent in Samorspi, it has, alongside Ace, had a dominant position over the West Euclean esporting world, something which has drawn criticism from commentators and players who find it makes the league "uncompetitive". It has been a strong competitor in the Avatar gaming world, having made the Avatar World Championships every year since their founding, qualified for the final portion five times, and winning second place in the 2018 championships. It is participating in the 2023 Avatar World Championship. In addition to Avatar, S5 Gaming also oversees teams for other major esporting games.
History
Formation and Early Years (2016-2017)
S5 Gaming was founded in March 2016 by a agreement between the countries in the diplomatic bloc of Samorspi to create and fund professional esporting teams, alongside Team Ace. Both teams hosted tryouts in early April from the various West Euclean Avatar communities, selecting the best players from each team. The first team saw players from five countries, Soravia, West Miersa, Kantemosha & Ambrazka, Laudania and Tengaria, make the final cut. Cheslav Ungern, known by his username Underd0g, was already a well-known player on the international level for Avatar, and became the team's leader and guide. After the team was formed the players began to work in order to work well as a team and to improve their skills, and is overseen by a Samorspi commision. Besides for minor preparatory tournaments, S5 Gaming made its first major tournament appearance in September of 2016 in the West Euclean Regional Finals, where it proved quite successful, beating every team it played against and securing the victory and a garunteed spot at the 2016 Avatar World Championships. In the first year of its existence, it managed to score enough victories in the Round Robin to qualify for the it reached the final five competitors in the tournament, although it lost in the first round and thus placed fifth in the championship as a whole. Despite not winning the championship, the team had already proven quite successful in its first year.
The 2017 season saw S5 compete in more tournaments and training activities throughout the season. The team's requirements and playing level were high, and during the course of the season both roamers, Nikoloz Donauri (nik2756) and Wojciech Lis (Mandrake35), lost their spots in the next tryouts to Soravian Eduard Lemkos (fullmetal) and Salikhian Avtandil Jughashvili (Avtandil). Adjusting to the new members did not go exactly smoothly, with Lemkos especially being problematic for the team's playstyle and dynamics- although a talented player, Lemkos failed to work with his teammates. Because of this the team did not do as well as it did in the previous regional tournament, losing the top spot in West Euclea to Team Ace. Nevertheless, it still qualified for the World Championship, and its mediocre performance in the round robin stage failed to qualify the team for the finals, ending the year in dissapointment.
Dominant Years (2018-2019)
Tryouts and playing assessments were moved to early January by the commission to shortly after the World Championships, to give more time for the newer players to adjust to the team's playstyle. Eduard Lemkos and Tapio Hämäläinen (Hammerfall) lost their spots on the team to Soravian Kliment Smeshnoy (kl1ment) as top laner and Ambrzkan Ladislav Pekár (MrLaatta) as bot roamer. Unlike the previous years, the team began to adapt well to working together, and began perfoming really well in the preliminary competitions throughtout the 2018 season. It once again preformed well in the regional tournament, becoming West Euclea's champion in 2018, and being the best team in the Round Robin phase at the world championships. However, they were upset by the Red Rockers in the final match of the championship, and thus ended in second place. However, the year was a huge success, marking the highest positon which a West Euclean team had ever reached in the World Championship.
In the 2019 season, Ladislav Pekár lost his seat to West Miersan Janusz Rumiński (jan66). The team continued to preform well but at not quite as high a caliber as before. They secured another victory at the West Euclean championships, beating Team Ace for the third time at the West Euclean championship. Doing well in the round robin, they secured third place in the final five. However, they were beaten by the second team, causing them to square off against the lower of the fourth and fifth games. Despite appearing dominant in the first few matches, the team was ultimately beaten in an upset which left S5 at fourth place. Still, despite the upset, the team had performed quite well, and maintained its spot as the dominant Samorspi esports team.
2020 Season
In the beginning of the 2020 season, team lader Cheslav Ungern announced that he would be retiring from active playing and leaving the team, a devestating blow for the team's morale and playstyle. In addition, top roamer Avtandil Jughashvili did not qualify for the team and would have to be replaced. With Ungern's departure, Cyriac Asotriani (Sagacité) was the oldest player on the team. He however was passed over for team leadership, with it instead being given to the new Soravian top-roamer Valentina Voloshyn (volo_city), marked as one of the most talented prospects in Avatar history. Mikhel Saakashvili (niangi2) joined the team as the team's new bot laner, and was known for his great degree of skill but also unpredictability.
The new top roamer, Voloshyn, was also the first female player in the team's history, and had a very strong personality and tried to force the team to go in directions the other players were not comfortable with. The team did not end up working well together due to conflicts of personality, and saw a its worst season in its history during 2020. To make matters worse, Janusz Rumiński was caught during an international tournament using racial slurs against Lemovicians, resulting in Janusz being fined and S5's reputation being tarnished. The team still finished as West Euclean runners up and barely qualified for the world championships, but had a miserable performance during the round robin period. The horrible season resulted in public backlash against Voloshyn, blaming her for the team's poor leadership and cohesion during the season.
2021 Season
After the failure of the 2020 season, Voloshyn lost her place on the team and Lenov was appointed as the team's leader for the 2021 season. Ungern was brought back as a coach, and the young but talented Kantemoshan Villiam Järvenpää (delphi) was brought on as top roamer. The team began to improve rapidly over what it had in the previous year, and began to look again like its older self once again after the poor showing. During the 2021 West Euclean regional championships, it preformed well but ultimately lost in the finals to Team Ace. It qualified for the 2021 Avatar World Championship in Bagabiada, Dezevau, marking its sixth consecutive time of making it to the tournament.
At the tournament, the team performed very well overall, finishing 7-4 for the Round Robin, tied for second with MTel Lion City and Team HAZE. In the tiebreaker round, the team won its game against Team HAZE, securing the joint 2-3 seed alongside MTel Lion City. However, they lost against MTel 2-4 in best of sevens, and were forced to play their regional rivals, Team Ace, which was seeded 5th but had managed to defeat Team HAZE to advance onwards. In a series of close games, Ace was able to win on game 7 of the best of seven, before itself going on to be defeated by MTel Lion in the next round. However, despite its problems, S5 did finish in a very respectable 4th place, a major improvement over the 2020 season.
2022 Season
With a good performance at the tournament level, many fans thought that S5 was once again prominent on the national stage. The victory solidified Sagacité's position as team leader, and also put the team's prospects for next year in a good position. jan66, due to the controversial issues of racist comments against Lemovicians and general play issues, was removed from the team in the 2022 tryouts. Replacing him would be volo_city, which was met with outrage from the fans, as many blamed her for the poor showing during the 2020 season. The old wounds re-opened existed not just for the fans, but for some of the players who had been part of the 2020 team, especially kl1ment and niangi2.
However Sagacité was highly supportive of volo_city's reintegration with the team, especially since Voloshyn had matured and become less domineering during the gap year. He publicly supported her place on the team, and worked with his teammates to give her a fresh start. This effort, along with tangible success by the team after her integration, placated many, but not all, of the skeptical fans. The team already showed signs of promise during the pre-season, and began to work remarkably well together. volo_city's significant strengthening of both bottom and mid-lane proved valuable, and gave the team the edge that they needed to edge out Team Ace in the West Euclean championships, finally taking the title back after 2 years of it belonging to Ace.
This success allowed them a chance to compete once again at the global level with the 2022 Avatar World Championship, marking the 7th appearance the team has made at the tournament, as well as Sagacité himself, making an Avatar record. They saw success in the Round Robin Stages, going 7-2 out of 9 games, the highest in the tournament, and tied with regional rivals Team Ace. Because they beat Team Ace in their matchup, S5 was able to progress to the Quarterfinals, sweeping Team Ace in a devastating series and earning a bye to the finals. There, they squared off against the former world champion SilverknightS, making an East-West Euclea final showdown. Winning the first game of seven, they ended up losing the second game, winning the third, and losing the fourth. Four games into the finals, both teams were tied at two wins apiece. However, Sagacité led the S5 to win the next two games, securing the victory in the finals and turning S5 Gaming into the world champions of Avatar, the first time a West Euclean team had taken the spot.
2023 Season
S5 Gaming's victory was a huge breakthrough for West Euclean sports, and with Team Ace finishing in third place, it was considered an exceptionally good showing. With Sagacité finally having captured the crown after seven successive appearances, media began to ask whether or not Sagacité might be one of the greatest Avatar players in history. Although some had expected that he would retire following his victory, Sagacité announced that, despite his relative older age to the other players, he would not be retiring, and instead would keep playing. The drama concerning volo_city's reintegration into the team were largely put to rest, as many now appreciated her role in ensuring the team's continued success.
The success, however, was dampened by news that longtime player Kliment Smeshnoy (kl1ment) would step away from playing to take a coaching position. Many fans were sad to see him go, as kl1ment had been the team's top laner since 2018, and had been instrumental in the team's 2018 second-place run and the team's success and longevity. However, they were happy that he had successfully captured a championship before he left. Mikhel Saakashvili (niangi2) failed to repass the tryouts for the years's team, allowing for a new bot laner. This meant that the flanks, the most historically stable positions in S5, were open for newer players, while the middle players remained the same.
In order to fill in the openings, Aleksandre Glonti (Vars) from Salikhia was selected to fill top lane, while Stanisłaŭ Vajciuškievič (King_Stanis) from Laudania was selected to fill bot lane. Vars was newer talent, while King_Stanis had been on the S5 reserve team for several years and had finally made his breakthrough. Although there was concern that too much new talent would spoil the balance of the team, nevertheless S5 had excellent success throughout the 2023 season, performing well both in the WEAL as well as in international exhibitions. It adopted a playstyle focused on the centre of the map, where the strong presence of the veterans were able to stage control of the board while the top and bottom lanes held the flanks in solid defense.
S5 competed in a close race with Team Ace to earn the WEAL Championship for the 5th time, also earning them their eighth consecutive placement in the 2023 Avatar World Championship, this time in order to defend their title. However, as the cheating scandal concerning Team Ace saw them lose their spot in the World Championship, S5 ended up being the only team from West Euclea to be represented at the World Championship.
Fanbase & Criticism
S5 Gaming has a wide-reaching fanbase spread largely across the countries of Samorspi. It tends to be more popular in Tengaria, West Miersa, Salikhia and Kantemosha, largely due to the players who have played for S5 coming from these countries, while Team Ace is more popular in Radushia and Bistravia. Although Tengarians have played for Team Ace, Dragomir Lenov is a popular figure in Tengarian gaming, due to his long career and work outside of the gaming field. S5 Gaming also has a large following in Soravia, but fans of both teams exist in wide numbers in Soravia. Despite the regional rivalry with Team Ace, the team's success on the international stage usually is a united cause for most Samorspi countries.
The team has also recieved criticism from some commentators and players in the West Euclean world and internationally. By taking the top talent from the WEAL and having a stranglehold on regional titles alongside Ace, critics claim that it makes the League uncompetitive and less exciting. They allege that it fosters an attitude of elitism and stagnation. Although Glace itself has considered taking action against the teams to introduce new possiblities for the WEAL, no concrete action has been taking yet. In response to criticisms, supporters of S5 argue that membership on the team is highly competitive and the frequent roster changes are indicative of a healthy league, even if the names remain the same.
Players
Current Avatar Roster
| Role | Name | Handle | Nationality | Year Joined | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top Laner | Aleksandre Glonti | Vars |  Salikhia
|
2023 | 18 |
| Top Roamer | Villiam Järvenpää | delphi |  Kantemosha
|
2021 | 20 |
| Mid Laner | Cyriac Asotriani | Sagacité |  Tengaria
|
2016 | 30 |
| Bot Roamer | Valentina Voloshyn | volo_city |  Soravia
|
2022 | 22 |
| Bot Laner | Stanisłaŭ Vajciuškievič | King_Stanis |  Laudania
|
2023 | 22 |
Reserve Team
| Role | Name | Handle | Nationality | Year Joined | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top Laner | Angel Avasilei | Angelology | Tengaria
|
2023 | 18 |
| Top Roamer | Eduard Ungern | upd0g | Soravia
|
2021 | 27 |
| Mid Laner | Maryja Naviskaja | 9stars | Laudania
|
2021 | 24 |
| Bot Roamer | Ján Repa | sikbeets | Ambrazka
|
2022 | 22 |
| Bot Laner | Mikhel Saakashvili | niangi2 | Salikhia
|
2023 | 23 |
Former Avatar Players
The following list only includes those who have been members of the official and not the reserve team.
| Role | Name | Handle | Nationality | Career | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bot laner | Cheslav Ungern | Underd0g | Soravia
|
2016-2020 | 30 |
| Top laner | Tapio Hämäläinen | Hammerfall | Kantemosha
|
2016-2018 | 32 |
| Bot roamer | Nikoloz Donauri | nik2756 | Laudania
|
2016-2017 | 29 |
| Top roamer | Wojciech Lis | Mandrake35 |  Miersa
|
2016-2017 | 28 |
| Bot roamer | Eduard Lemkos | fullmetal | Soravia
|
2017-2018 | 27 |
| Top roamer | Avtandil Jughashvili | Avtandil | Salikhia
|
2017-2020 | 27 |
| Top Laner | Kliment Smeshnoy | kl1ment | Soravia
|
2018-2023 | 26 |
| Bot roamer | Ladislav Pekár | MrLaatta | Ambrazka
|
2018-2019 | 25 |
| Bot roamer | Janusz Rumiński | jan66 | Miersa
|
2019-2022 | 25 |
| Top roamer | Valentina Voloshyn* | volo_city | Soravia
|
2020-2021 | 22 |
| Bot Laner | Mikhel Saakashvili | niangi2 | Salikhia
|
2020-2023 | 23 |
(*)This marks Voloshyn's first tenure on the team. She was reintroduced to the team after a year's departure in 2022, this time as a bot-roamer instead of a top-roamer.
Results
| Year | West Euclea Avatar League | World Championship | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | L | Pos. | Playoffs | P | W | L | Pos. | Playoffs | |
| 2016 | 26 | 21 | 5 | 1st | Winners | 13 | 8 | 6 | 5th | Eighths |
| 2017 | 28 | 20 | 8 | 2nd | Runners-up | 21 | 4 | 6 | 7th | Round-Robin |
| 2018 | 26 | 23 | 3 | 1st | Winners | 29 | 18 | 11 | 2nd | Runners-up |
| 2019 | 27 | 21 | 6 | 1st | Winners | 24 | 13 | 11 | 4th | Quarterfinals |
| 2020 | 25 | 15 | 10 | 2nd | Runners-up | 11 | 4 | 7 | 10th | Round-Robin |
| 2021 | 26 | 18 | 8 | 2nd | Runners-up | 25 | 13 | 12 | 4th | Quarterfinals |
| 2022 | 26 | 24 | 2 | 1st | Winners | 19 | 15 | 4 | 1st | Winners |
| 2023 | 27 | 22 | 5 | 1st | Winners | |||||
| Totals | 211 | 164 | 47 | 131 | 76 | 57 | ||||