Esport MeTYLOO's forced Retake withdrawal threatens Singapore Major hopes, says coach zhokiNg
Coach WeiJie "zhokiNg" Zhong tells HLTV that a scheduling clash with IEM Beijing left TYLOO no option but to forfeit their HyperX Retake quarter-final, denting the Chinese side's Major qualification chances.
TYLOO's withdrawal from HyperX Retake S13 has left the Chinese side facing a sharply reduced chance of reaching the Singapore Major, after a forfeit in the tournament's quarter-finals clashed with their commitments at IEM Beijing.
Coach WeiJie "zhokiNg" Zhong told HLTV ahead of IEM Beijing that the team had actually planned for the possibility of a clash before it happened, having calculated their VRS points requirements in advance of PGL Masters Bucharest.
According to zhokiNg, the plan assumed TYLOO would likely lose matches at PGL and need extra points-farming fixtures afterwards. That changed when the team beat 9z, which meant their points tally was already sufficient. By that stage they had already registered for the Retake event and could not withdraw.
Compounding the situation, Dongkai "Jee" Ji contracted chickenpox, an outcome zhokiNg described as something nobody had anticipated. "So afterward we had no choice but to play in that Retake event," he said.
Jee has largely recovered, zhokiNg said, and the team is working with a hospital to obtain a non-contagious certificate that would allow him to return. Whether he features in TYLOO's opening IEM Beijing match depends on the outcome of that process, with zhokiNg noting the result would only be known on the day.
Asked whether the Major qualification setback stemmed from the scheduling conflict rather than Jee's illness alone, zhokiNg pointed to the calibre of events TYLOO had been competing in. He argued that rival Asian sides had padded their standings through regional points-farming tournaments, while TYLOO had been competing in what he called S-tier events on the world stage, including PGL and IEM Beijing.
zhokiNg also addressed the gap to The MongolZ, who he said had overtaken TYLOO near the top of the Asian VRS rankings after a roster change and a tournament win that sent their points total surging. He said the gap between the two sides remains significant and that TYLOO still need to improve.
On the win over 9z at PGL Masters Bucharest, zhokiNg called the 2-1 result "a really good signal," noting TYLOO had lost to 9z three times previously. He said the team adjusted its approach after studying 9z's playstyle and secured the win even without a full roster, adding he believed they would have beaten 9z regardless of whether Jee had played.
zhokiNg was also asked about comments he made after the Bucharest win regarding TYLOO's need for a secondary in-game leader to handle mid-round calls. He said the team had trialled two players for the role, JamYoung and Jee, and found JamYoung well suited to the secondary IGL position.