PGC 2022 Preview: China

After a year of crazy games across the world, the 2022 PUBG Global Championship is here! Thirty-two teams from across the world have assembled in Dubai to fight for the title of PUBG Global Champion. With the event just under a week away, it is time to preview the event, its teams and the players in it. The opening group stage play will be streaming live on YouTube and on Twitch at 9 AM EST, Monday, March 31st. The next region at PGC 2022 getting broken down is China, home to the reigning world champions.

NewHappy

Roster: MMing, HSMM, Nannnnn, ZpYan1

MVP: MMing

Drop Spots: Yasnaya (Erangel), Los Leones (Miramar)

The reigning PGC 2021 Champions entered 2022 on a high note. They carried the same roster that they won China’s first PGC title and looked to dominate the region. Unfortunately, total regional domination didn’t totally come, but they came close. They won both PCL Splits, PCS 7 and came eighth in PCS6. In an otherwise dominant year, they only had one major slip up. Entering PGC, they should be considered the favorites, but how do they square up against the other teams?

Like many of the best teams, NewHappy is an immensely talented four man unit that can all carry a game. The star of the team however is MMing. Statistically, he is one of the best Chinese players ever in domestic play. When it comes time to play in non-Chinese events, that is when his power really shows up. After him, HSMM and ZpYan1 tend to be the two players who vie for the bulk of the remaining frags. That is not to discount Nannnnn though, who in his own right is immensely talented.

NewHappy’s biggest weakness is their random fits of inconsistency. This team typically is finishing in the placement points, if not winning games with tons of frags. When they hit a cold streak though, those can last for whole weekends sometimes. Luckily though, their drop spots will likely remain uncontested in the opening lobby. If they can get their momentum, NewHappy will be a tough team to stop.

Petrichor Road

Roster: Aixleft, Loong, Ming, Myl, AZ

MVP: Aixleft

Drop Spots: School/Apartments (Erangel), Power Grid (Miramar)

The Chinese titans from 2021 were not satisfied with their sixth place finish at PGC 2021. Entering 2022, the team went through immense roster changes. Aixleft and Myl remained, but Mingz1 and Mamu ended up exiting the team. In their stead came Ming, AZ and PGI 2018 FPP champion lionkk. By the end of the year Loong had joined the team, while lionkk and AZ became bench boys. Despite all that chaos, PeRo finished first and fourth in PCS 6 and 7 respectively. They enter PGC with a lot to prove if they want to match their result from 2021.

This team is at PGC because of Aixleft. He is, at worst, one of the ten best players in the world. He has freakishaim and puts up outrageous numbers every single tournament. If Aixleft runs cold, this team doesn’t work. Surrounding him is a collection of solid players. Loong, Ming, AZ and Myl have immense pressure on them to perform at this event. The most pressure falls on Myl’s shoulders. His growth last year was a major reason they won both PCS events last year.

Aside from their quest for a secondary fragger, Petrichor Road’s drop spots will likely be contested. On Erangel, Donuts USG will fight them over the School and Apartments. Then on Miramar, Wildcard Gaming shares a similar love for Power Grid. If PeRo lose to many players in early drops, an early exit may befell the three-time PCS champions

17Gaming

Roster: Shou, LilGhost, xwudd, Xbei, SuJiu

MVP: Shou

Drop Spots: Pochinki (Erangel), Pecado (Miramar)

After a disappointing finish at PGC 2021, 17Gaming entered 2022 looking for redemption. The first step in that redemption came early with a second place finish in PCL Spring and a fifth place finish at PCS 6. Soon after PCS6, JuFy exited the scene which allowed the team to pick up xwudd. Following his addition, the team finished third in PCL Summer and second in PCS7. With momentum on their side and this being Shou’s final event before retiring, will they send an all time great out with a win?

17Gaming is a roster full of star to very good players. Shou, xwudd and Xbei are all immensely talented fraggers who have landed towards the top of statistical leaderboards during Asian tournaments this year. The most compelling piece of the roster is LilGhost though. Before 2022, he always felt like a safe second or third fragger on a strong team. He took a massive step forward in 2022 however. Instead, he finished as the top performer during PCL Summer. While he regressed back to his normal range for PCS 7, the fact he has that potential is frightening for other teams. This could be a very hard team to stop.

In their opening PGC 2022 group, neither of their drop locations will be contested. That is key on Erangel, given the team’s tendency to drop at Pochinki. For a team that is already pretty good on Erangel, that is a scary proposition.

Tianba Esports

Roster: 77owo, 9, Tang, Cui71

MVP: Cui71

Drop Spots: South George/Military Base (Erangel), Valle Del Mar/Puerto Pariso (Miramar)

While they were not showy in 2022, Tianba Esports got the job done on a consistent basis. They finished top three in both PCL splits and finished third at PCS 6. Tianba seemed to be back in 2020 form. Yet, During PCS 7, the team phased out long-time star LinShuNN. That resulted in an underwhelming 10th place finish. Now at PGC, the team did not even bring LinShuNN as a substitute player. With the team on a downward spiral, can they course correct and play to their potential?

With LinShuNN no longer in the roster, this team revolves around Cui71 and Tang. Both players were the two players who, outside of LinShuNN, carried this team to this point. 77owo also had his strong moments, but the other two players have played more important roles in their success. Now it is time to have the difficult discussion surrounding 9. He is a very good player, especially with bolt-action snipers. He is nowhere near the caliber of player of LinShuNN. He will need to step it up to be able to fill his shoes.

Luckily for Tianba, their drop spots are not expected to be contested. While everything may seem in question, Tianba will be allowed to loot in peace during opening groups.

Tyloo

Roster: JiaoYang, xTongzz, SIA, CC108

MVP: SIA

Drop Spots: Mylta (Erangel), El Azahar (Miramar)

Tyloo entered 2022 with improvement on the brain. Their unsuccessful 2022 campaign yielded 0 PGC and two middling PCL performances. Majors changes needed to be made to take this roster to the next level. M200 and Peng, one of the original members of this roster, exited the team. In their stead came xTongzz and a fresh faced rookie in CC108. Those changed paid dividends immediately as Tyloo claimed second place at PCS 6. While they only finished ninth at PCS 7, the points acquired across both events proved enough to lane them in Dubai. Now with PGC 2022 upon about to begin, they will look to subvert expectations.

This team, at its core, is focused around CC108 and SIA. Tyloo’s two spearheads commonly are the statistical titans of the team and present immense challenges for other teams in gun fights. JiaoYang, formerly of Infantry, is one of the better performing IGL from China in this tournament and is no slouch with a gun. Finally, rounding out the roster is xTongzz, who rounds out the roster nicely.

Tyloo’s drop spots are a mixed bag heading into opening groups. While their Miramar drop appears clear for now, Buriram United drop near by and are not afraid to fight at all. On Erangel, FaZe and The Expendables drop in the same area as well. With a potentially messy situation waiting for them, Tyloo will need their best tournament ever to claim the PGC title.

TakeMeAway Gaming

TakeMeAway (TMA) Gaming PUBG — Image Courtesy of Krafton

Roster: Yuppie, LuLualways, CRAZY112, Hang2y, Xiaohaixxx

MVP: Crazy112

Drop Spots: Kameshki (Erangel), Quarry (Miramar)

Entering PGC, TMA are the biggest question mark of any team in the entire event. They failed to qualify for PCS 7, which means there is significantly less tape on them. On top of that, after PCS 6, there organization left PUBG so they lost half their roster. Now, it’s a new roster we barely have tape on that qualified off of an old rosters performance. simply put, it could be a disaster.

While TMA may go down in flames, it won’t be for a lack of talent. CRAZY112 and Hang2y are two immensely talented individuals who performed well on 4AM and JuFu respectively. Yuppie was a part of the old KaiXin roster that made PGC last year. Lastly, rounding out the team, LuLualways and Xiaohixxx provide experience. Do I like the players on this team, yes. Do I like the combination, no.

Luckily for them, their drop spots are uncontested in PGC 2022 opening groups. No normal team would challenge them in Kameshki or Quarry. Then again, TMA is not a normal team.