3 reasons to catch the PUBG CPL Championship this weekend
With a prize pool of $10,000 and the honour of being the first Cyberathlete Professional League (CPL) regional champion for PlayerUnknown’s Battleground (PUBG), much is at stake during the Asia Game Festival that starts on Saturday (9 June).
Singapore team “Klique” and Malaysia’s “Sabah Top 1” will join representatives from four other countries – Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines – as well as 14 teams open to the public from Asia, to challenge for the coveted title in the online multiplayer battle royale game.
Here are three reasons you should check out the tournament:
1) Overcrowding is real (and somewhat relatable)
PUBG starts off with 100 players on the same map, when they are forced to parachute from a plane (in this case, with their teams), and attempt to land in the same area to begin scavenging for equipment before they start engaging in their battle royale.
While most teams have their coordination pretty much in place these days, you might still see one or two people landing a bit further away from their teams, or multiple teams rushing for the same looting spots. This sometimes leads to a frantic first few minutes as players race to arm themselves or use their in-game fists against opponents.
But the overcrowding doesn’t stop there. Players are increasingly forced into “safe zones” (known as the circle, because of its shape on the map), where the likelihood of them encountering other players gets higher and higher. Definitely something those of us living in crowded cities with problematic rail systems can relate to, somewhat. Without the murder weapons, of course.
2) You learn how to appreciate vehicles (when they work)
Sure, Singapore may have dreams of being a car-lite society, but in the PUBG world, going on foot can sometimes kill you, literally.
Remember the shrinking circle from above? Each time the circle shrinks, it appears in a random location within the original, meaning that the safe zone can literally be on the other side of the map. After an initial warning period, players outside of the safe zone begin to take damage until they either reach it, or pass out trying.
Just spend a few moments watching players scramble to the safe zone when the respite period is up, and you’ll realise why most players want to find vehicles in the game. Bonus, these vehicles don’t need COE, and you don’t need to pay parking or ERP for them, either!
3) You can get to the top without resorting to in-game murder
As you’d expect from a battle royale game, meeting an opponent usually results in either one or both of you getting shot and potentially killed.
Despite this, sometimes, some players managed to hang on for a win with zero kills. While a remarkable achievement at times, at others you might look at the result and wonder how that’s even possible. Most of the time, it’s a player with a team.
That being said, there are occasions when the winning player just happens to be in the right place at the right time, and the other finalists end up dying outside the safe zone, or getting killed by a tree when the bike they’re riding messes up.
Community consultation
The Singapore and Malaysia teams were chosen through online qualifiers that took place on 19 and 27 May, while the four other teams from the other nations were invited in consultation with the PUBG Corporation.
“Team Vikings Gaming” from Vietnam, “Mineski.TH 4-Supaap” of Thailand, Indonesia’s “Aerowolf_ADS” and “TNC 5Peaks” from the Philippines will be representing their respective countries in the tournament.
The teams’ past performances and popularity within the community were taken into consideration during the selection process.
The tournament takes place over two days, Saturday and Sunday (10 June) at the Suntec Convention and Exhibition Centre.
More information about the PUBG CPL Championship can be found here.
To purchase tickets to the Asia Game Festival, click here.
Use the code AGF18YAHOO! for a 20 per cent discount. Yahoo Singapore is a media partner for the event.
