“PUBG NATIONS CUP (PNC)” 2019 held in the Jangchung Arena, central Seoul, was a huge festival to the PUBG Esports fans. Representing their own countries, the magnificent players all over the world fought hard. Back then, Team Korea yielded the top spot in the last moment. Not just Korea, many other national teams that were once expected to outperform others ended up in disappointment. Three years later in 2022, world-class players gather in Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand, once again to compete with each other in the second PNC. Who’s going to get the glory? Let’s take a look at the front runners.
※ This contribution is based on the personal opinion of “JISOOBOY,” a Korean PUBG Esports commentator, and is not KRAFTON’s official statement.
Team China, the unrivaled
In 2019, the Korean teams captured the trophies in most of the global tournaments. Even the crown of “PUBG GLOBAL CHAMPIONSHIP (PGC) 2019” ━ the supreme global tournament of PUBG Esports ━ was taken by Gen.G of Korea. Many expected Korea would be a long-standing leader in the PUBG Esports scene. In fact, when “PUBG CONTINENTAL SERIES (PCS)” just began, many anticipated that Korea would dominate the series.
However, it’s the Chinese teams that are sweeping all the tournaments ━ seven in a row ━ in the Asia region starting from “PCS CHARITY SHOWDOWN” in May 2020 to the latest PCS6, which indeed is an unprecedented record. With NewHappy from China becoming the champion of PGC 2021, the country is recognized as a true powerhouse of PUBG Esports.
China’s high spirits can also be observed from the way they prepare for the upcoming PNC 2022. Considering the performance, fame and career of respective national team members, Team China is so well organized that it’s difficult to build a stronger squad. They also started practicing for PNC 2022 earlier than any other country.
Team China picked ZpYan1, the main order of PGC 2021 winner NewHappy, and the “killing machine” MMing of the same team. Aixleft, the ace of Petrichor Road which won PCS4, PCS5 and PCS6 in the Asia region, as well as a supreme all-rounder xxxLu of 4AM are also the member of China’s national team. It won’t be an exaggeration even if you call them “unrivaled.”
Following the victory in PGC 2021, NewHappy also won “PUBG CHAMPIONS LEAGUE (PCL)” 2022 Spring. Obviously, the leading contributor of this brilliant achievement is ZpYan1. He’s able to find a way for his team to survive even in the worst circumstances, not to mention that he has an outstanding combat skill.
ZpYan1 made exceptional records in PCL 2022 Spring Weekly Finals; throughout the 48 matches, he topped total damage dealt, assault rifle damage dealt, kill & knock-out (91 kills and 75 K.O.s) count and time survived. Taking account of his role as the main order who must overlook the game in general, these personal records are almost unbelievable. His recent performances are like “Zhuge Liang,” the legendary tactician from “Romance of the Three Kingdoms,” making a show of peerless force in the frontline instead of standing in the rear.
In PNC 2022, ZpYan1 is accompanies by his most trusted right-hand man, MMing. He was named as one of the “ALL-PGC” in PGC 2021, got most kills and MVP of PCL 2021 Summer, had most kills of PCL 2020 Fall, and again, clinched most kills and MVP of PCL 2020 Spring. MMing is now one of the best fighters in China.
Even when the team is at risk or he’s left alone in an unfavorable position, MMing can turn the table with a “Beryl M762” with a 3x magnification scope in his hands. He’s one of the top five players in China in terms of pure combat skills.
Whereas NewHappy dominates PCL, Petrichor Road rules PCS ASIA. They won the three consecutive series ━ PCS4, 5, 6 ━ proving themselves as the strongest PCS ASIA. All this would not have been made without Aixleft.
Aixleft’s performance during PCL was not notable. But he managed to make a dramatic rebound whenever he was playing in PCS; He was the kill leader and an ALL-PCS member in PCS4 and PCS6 ASIA. What makes him an exceptional player is his concentration and precision in shooting. He took the first place in total damage dealt, designated marksman rifle damage dealt, and headshot kills as well as kill (50 kills) and knock-out (48 K.O.s) counts through the 30 matches in PCS6 ASIA. It would be fair to say that you would be instantly knocked out right when your eyes meet his. He’s definitely one of the most threatening opponents for all players.
One regret for PUBG Esports fans in China would be that GodV, a Chinese superstar player who was in the national team in PNC 2019, didn’t make it to Team China this time. Instead, his teammate xxxLu filled GodV’s spot. Showing brilliant performances as the main attacker of 4AM alongside Forever, xxxLu has accumulated extensive experiences in many offline events. He’s also a very powerful striker, having the biggest kill counts in PCL 2022 Spring Playoff with 37 kills in 30 matches.
Looking back how did Team China perform in PNC 2019, they selected four best players at that time ━ GodV, Mad98, Dec12th, and Summer. But they played separately without close cooperation as a team. They failed to get a single WWCD through the 15 matches.
Comparing Team China in 2019 to that of 2022, the latter are showing a playstyle and combat skills on an entirely different level, making themselves as one of the most promising team in PNC 2022. Considering that the Chinese players tend to break through the disadvantageous positions with their combat skills and then widely expand their territories, their victory seems more natural.
However, the Chinese players may have different perspectives of playing the game since they aren’t from the same pro team. It’s also doubtful if the two players who are not from NewHappy could get along well with the others, as those from NewHappy would probably decides the drop zones. Moreover, the Chinese teams often didn’t make it in the way they intended in the past global tournaments when they faced the American and European teams. The Chinese teams are inclined to prefer close-range infighting, whereas the American and the European teams focus on keeping others in check in mid- and long-distance. This difference would embarrass Team China once again.
Some predict that Team China would start the game in “Georgopol” of Erangel in PNC 2022. As Finland is expected to parachute down on the nearby area, China could be involved in a fierce fight to dominate the district and possibly fail to maintain their strength. Team Finland picked the two key players from Heroic, which competed to the last for the trophy of PGC 2021 with. They might be seeking to revenge on China.
Despite all the obstacles, Team China is still the most powerful front runner in PNC 2022. They’re clearly on the rise in the recent global events, gaining satisfactory results. If they can conquer PNC 2022 as well, they would prove once again that China remains as the unrivaled.
Team Finland, the snipers
There were four teams that were predicted to be a potential winner of PNC 2019 and Finland was always on the list. Team Finland in PNC 2019 had the best players in Europe; mxey of FaZe Clan, brothers Sambty and Jembty of Team Liquid, and Tiikzu of Winstrike Team. But they kept showing poor performances throughout the event and ended up at the bottom, which was far short of their fame.
They made many mistakes and the best result they had throughout the 15 matches was the fourth place, with only six as their maximum kill count in a match. Considering eight points are generally regarded as the bar of ideal score per match, they totaled 55 points in 15 matches and gained an average of 3.6 points per match, disappointing their fans.
However, things can be different this time. PaG3 and curexi, the key players of Heoric which missed the crown of PGC 2021 by just four points, will lead Team Finland. Well-experienced D1gg3r1 as well as mxey, who is selected for the national team again, got a good chance to redeem themselves.
Before the Grand Finals of PGC 2021, Heroic was generally considered as one of the dark horses. Yet as soon as the matches begun, it soon turned out otherwise. They didn’t let others come inside the safety zone easily, didn’t rush to get themselves involved close-range fights, and took advantage of combats between other teams. Heroic proved themselves as a favorite, not just a dark horse.
As they’re extraordinary out-boxers among other European players, they prefer mid- and long-distance combats and are expected to show Heroic’s unique playstyle of “drawing a line and building a sturdy defense.” Considering many European players are inclined to concentrate on retaining their manpower as a team, it would be not easy to find them get eliminated early in the games.
PaG3, Heroic’s main order, will command Team Finland for PNC 2022. When you look at his face while he plays, he keeps an unperturbed poker face all the time. He cold-bloodedly weighs the pros and cons of every circumstance, and his choices almost always prove to be right. In addition, as Heroic prefer to dominate the upper village of Georgopol in Erangel, when the blue zone draws to this area, they frequently occupied vantage points in advance, gaining many points. PaG3 is not just good at fighting but also at determining the situations. For this reason, Team Finland will be able to run their games far more effectively than in PNC 2019.
D1gg3r1 and curexi showed off their skills during PCS6 EUROPE, getting 30 and 40 kills respectively in 30 matches. As one of the most experienced PUBG Esports players in Europe, mxey had 43 kills in total and proved he’s still a decent attacker.
Team Finland made a strong and sturdy squad for PNC 2022 and thus they are expected to be one of the top 5. Things may change if they get involved in early skirmishes with Team China in Erangel. Finland, which remained at the bottom of PNC 2019, has gnashed their teeth for last three years and now is ready to snipe at the trophy.
Team USA, the trappers
Until 2019, the Americas PUBG Esports teams were widely considered as top dogs only in their region. As a matter of fact, The Rumblers finished 8th in PGC 2019, which was the best ranking among the Americas region teams, and the next was Genesis’ 9th place. Though the main events and the finals were held in California, they didn’t really tap into their home advantage.
Later, soniqs won PCS for several times and became the strongest team in the Americas region. But people didn’t expect much about them. Even Tempo Storm and Genesis which had been called as the giants of the Americas region for a long time easily collapsed in intercontinental tournaments. However, the evaluations and the perspectives on the Americas region teams were entirely changed, right after soniqs earned the title “PUBG GLOBAL INVITATIONAL.S 2021 (PGI.S 2021).”
The founding member and the main order of soniqs, Hwinn whose real name is Hunter Winn is a “hunter” by name. In addition to the victory in PGI.S 2021, he made significant contributions for the four following wins in PCS2, 3, 4, 6 AMERICAS. In particular during PGI.S 2021, soniqs shows a defense tactics that looked like “setting a trap,” amazed many other players, partners, and PUBG Esports fans.
The only regret for Team USA might be the absence of TGLTN, the best killer in the Americas region, since he’s playing for Team Australia. Instead, Kickstart, the key player of eUnited, as well as Shrimzy of soniqs will fill TGLTN’s absence.
Kickstart has plentiful experiences in offline competitions. He’s also placed in the second spot for total damage dealt following TGLTN and named as one of the ALL-PCS members for the entire Americas region during PCS6, making him a reliable marksman for Team USA. He also is good at in close-range combats, which is why the PUBG Esports fans should keep their eyes on this player.
Source: Kickstart YouTube
Sharpshot4K is a player who deserve the title as the living history of PUBG Esports in the Americas region. He’s keeping a keen sense of play as he was ranked second on the leaderboard of kill points by 53 kills in total in PCS6 AMERICAS while inflicting lots of damage dealt with grenades.
Team USA is likely to use the same landmarks of soniqs ━ Pochinki in Erangel and Pecado in Miramar ━ and thus they would not suffer even with extremely lopsided blue zones. As those landmarks located in central parts of the respective map will give Team USA an advantage is following the blue zones, other teams should pay attention to the place Team USA are stationed right after farming on the first day of PNC 2022. Since Team USA are inclined to proactively spread, hold the region they are stationed, and frequently use throwables, it would be better to check their kill feeds and location and then deal with them rather than jumping into a fight right away.
Quite often hwinn leads his team to successfully hold the position with his thorough defensive planning and thus other teams are advised to avoid impatiently fighting them in important spots or inside a building. In short, avoid the snare of the skilled trapper, hwinn. If you naively step into a good-looking position, you would be an easy prey for Team USA, helping them get closer to the trophy of PNC 2022.
To be continued in Part 2
