eSports Preview: Premier Challenge

Having seen their six-game winning run snapped at the hands of the league leaders last week, Argyle eSports will have three opportunities to return to winning ways on Monday night.

The Greens, whose 1-0 defeat to Mindless EU on Thursday was followed by a disappointing 3-1 loss against eSports Lucky, currently sit ninth in Virtual Pro Gaming’s League One South.

“In the first game, I felt we should have come away with at least a point,” said manager Ben Taylor. “Unfortunately, in the second game, we were all over the place and couldn’t recover. We ultimately got what we deserved – and that was nothing. It was an off night from start to finish, really, and hopefully tonight we can make up for the games we lost.”

The Pilgrims’ stunning run had seen them climb from bottom of the division to the fringes of the promotion-chasing pack, but Thursday’s losses have left them with a lot of work to do if they are to mount a late charge for the title  - although Taylor has not given up hope.

He said: “Nothing’s impossible, so we’ll just keep going. If we keep winning games, beat teams above us, we can hopefully end up near the top. If we don’t make it, finishing as high as possible gives us a platform to push on from next season.”

Argyle also kick off their English Premier campaign on Monday night – facing other VPG teams affiliated with EFL clubs. First up, Taylor and his colleagues take on Tranmere Rovers eSports.

The new VPG competition will run in parallel with League One South, allowing the Greens to compete in both leagues.

“Tranmere normally play in the [VPG] Championship, so that’s the league above us. Some of our team have played against them before and beaten them a couple of times, so hopefully we can do the same tonight.”

“There’s a lot of familiar faces in that league, and we’re looking to prove a point,” said Taylor. “Hopefully we can start well tonight by beating Tranmere.”

Argyle eSports face Tranmere Rovers at 8pm in the English Premier competition, before facing Three Lions eSports (8.45pm) and Yxng Boys (9.15pm) in League One South. All games will be available to stream live through our Facebook and Twitch channels.