HANGZHOU: Can Malaysia's eSports team transition from warriors to legends by defeating China, the developers of Arena of Valor, in the final at the Hangzhou Asian Games on Tuesday?
History beckons for Malaysia's Arena of Valor team after they secured a 2-0 victory over regional rivals Vietnam in the semi-finals at the Hangzhou eSports Centre.
Lai Chai Chein, Nicholas Ng, Yong Zhang Quan, Ong Jun Yang, Eng Jun How and Chong Han Hui will become Malaysia's unexpected heroes if they manage to beat the mighty Chinese team, comprising Sun Linwei, Luo Siyuan, Chi Xiaoming, Xu Bicheng, Jiang Tao, to claim the gold medal.
It is also a relief for the Malaysian contingent as the eSports team have already guaranteed a medal for the country in Hangzhou.
"Vietnam played well, but we were better," said a very confident team captain, Chai Chein.
China defeated Thailand 2-0 in the other semi-final.
Having come out tops in the qualification tournament (AESF Road to Asian Games 2022) in Macau two months ago, the Malaysian team fancy their chances of winning gold.
"Of course, China hold a slight advantage as they are not only the hosts but are also the developers of Arena of Valor.
"This will always be the case. In the next Asian Games, Japan will have a slight edge as they will feature their games.
"However, the version played here is a blend of the original and international versions. So, it is untrue to claim that China have a full advantage.
"We had two weeks of intensive centralised training before arriving for the Games. We have four pro players actively involved in the leagues, so it's not easy to have them all train together all the time," said team manager Wong Kang Woon.