“5 Fantastically Asian Guys” entered the Field of Justice and proved they were in a league of their own.
The team took home glory in a League of Legends (LoL) tournament hosted by the Binghamton University Video Game Association (VGA) Saturday night.
Sixteen five-person teams went head to head on the ground floor of Academic A to test their skills at the game, a multiplayer online battle arena video game created by Riot Games.
The object of the game is to destroy the opposing team’s base, or Nexus, by picking certain champions to compete in different lanes, or pathways, on the map. Players assume different roles and defend their lane, but as the game continues, they unite to defeat the enemy in team fights.
The competitors were split and occupied two packed rooms, with opposing teams sitting in different rooms and battling against one another, while a third room was open for spectators to watch a live stream of the games.
Joe Galgano, a sophomore majoring in biochemistry, said his team’s name reflected their mindset going into the tournament.
“Yeah, our team is called BaLLLLLs Deep,” he said. “You know when there is such harsh competition, the only option is to go balls deep. It’s not a joke — we have to go balls deep to win.”
David Morris, a sophomore majoring in computer science, said that the key to success is communication and being able to control emotions.
“I think what makes a great team in this game is the ability to work with others and make the right decisions,” Patterson said. “I would say the most important thing is to keep a cool head under whatever circumstance, because becoming angry and upset leads teams to do poorly in this game.”
“5 Fantastically Asian Guys” won the tournament, relying on “poking” tactics, or long-range attacks from safe distances, and Area of Effect spells to dominate team fights while defending their AD carry, or the champion who deals the highest amount of attack damage.
The prizes for first place were five Teemo Hats, resembling the hat worn by the champion Teemo, and five $10 Riot Point Cards, which can be used to purchase in-game add-ons.
Kyle Yee, head organizer for the event and a junior majoring in electrical engineering, said he came up with the idea as a way to unite all the different students who play the game.
“The important part about this event was to gather most of Binghamton’s LoL players under one tournament so they can meet and greet each other and also test their skills against other people they didn’t know played,” he said.
Julianne Rocco, a sophomore majoring in biology, said she came because her boyfriend was competing and claims that despite her boyfriend’s love for the game and constant playing, it does not negatively impact their relationship.
“Yeah, my boyfriend plays a lot,” Rocco said. “It doesn’t matter though because while he is playing I can still sit on him and hook up with him which is nice, and I know he doesn’t mind.”
Lang Gao, a junior majoring in graphic design, said he puts in a lot of hours playing LoL due to his easy schedule.
“I play a lot … at least 6 hours a day,” Gao said. “I have a pretty free schedule and I am a graphic designer, so I have a lot of free time and so this is what I do.”
More than 100 people attended the event hosted by the VGA. The group plans to hold another tournament in the fall semester.