Team Sentinel to square off with the best after winning SEA IPL Qualifier 5

IPL 2012, or IGN Pro League, a series of international eSports tournaments presented and backed by the American entertainment media company themselves, has hit fever pitch here in Singapore. With the recent win over fellow representative Kuala Lumpur Hunters (KLH) from Malaysia in quite convincing fashion, Singaporean outfit the Singapore Sentinels (SGS) are looking in good shape ahead of their next bout against Team SoloMid. Zhi Ping “d4rkness” Lim, member of the astute professional LOL team that will be representing Singapore at the IPL Grand Finals in San Francisco come November, tells us about the extraordinary journey which is taking the growing eSports nation by storm.

 

“We're very excited about getting the opportunity to represent Singapore at IPL, since we'll be able to test our mettle against top teams from around the world,” relates the enthusiastic gamer, “and hopefully make our mark on the global stage!” Having already claimed top honors at several high profile competitions this year; such as the Teemo All-Stars, Tristana Cup and the Garena Premier League Community Shield, just to name a few, the extravagant and much prized cash prize of the Grand Finals is well and within the team’s sights.

 

However, despite the fast filling trophy cabinet, the team is largely considered a young one. Conceived formally and officially in April 2012 after being a project of manager Lionel Lee, the eSports clan is only just beginning to get into the swing of things. “Prior to the formation of SGS, changes in team lineups happened on a regular basis, a trend that had carried over since SG's competitive DotA days. As such, there was a noticeable lack of team coordination even among the 'top' teams. “

 

“After coming together as SGS, we were able to put more focus on training to become better, especially since we now have a training facility available to us, whereas we only played online in the past. I believe I can also say for the rest of my team that we're all very satisfied about how much we've improved over the 3 months despite some of us having to balance our time between training and studies/National Service,” explains Zhi Ping.

 

The Singapore Sentinels, which are made up of seven players; namely Lionel “Hammy” Lee (Team manager), Romulus “Kailing” Tham (Team captain), Joshua “ToFuBoi” Tan, Lim “ly4ly4ly4” Yang, Jason “HarLeLuYaR” Koh, Baldwin “Equivocal” Sai, Wong “Chawy” Xingle, as well as d4arkness himself, prides themselves as being an aggressive team with a strong focus on lane dominance in the early game. But as strong as their tactics and fundamentals are right now, Zhi Ping believes exploration of alternative play styles is still essential in finding what works best for the team.

 

Currently competing in the Garena Premier League (GPL) every weekend, fans can still expect plenty of action from their favorite LOL team before they take off for the pinnacle of competitive League of Legends gaming. “I would like to thank all our fans for supporting SGS and we hope to reciprocate it by trying our best to be recognized on the world stage and make them proud for showing their support!”

 

Come November, a formidable line up of internationally renowned opponents stands in between SGS and the IPL crown. Among them Moscow Five, Team Dynamic, Counter Logic Gaming EU, Taipei Assassins, World Elite and Team SoloMid (TSM), winner of IPL qualifier 4, all of which are clans who SGS can expect no favors from. But d4arkness intends to keep his opponents mulling over their plan of action. “Currently, we have a few tricks up our sleeves for the coming IPL Face-off,” teases Zhi Ping, “and we'll continue formulating new strategies for use during the Grand Finals.”

 

For more information on team SGS, head on down to their official Facebook Fanpage. As for more on their victory at the IPL Finals 5, head on down to the Garena announcement.