FOR the second straight season, AP.Bren is missing the playoff bus.
The top-seeded Aurora Gaming sealed The Hive’s hopes in the MPL Philippines Season 16 after a 2-1 reverse sweep in Week 8.
Despite missing the playoffs once more, the team remains grateful for the journey they went through and the lessons they learned along the way.
“Talagang marami rin kaming pinagdaanan pero nakakatuwa lang kasi Week 8 pa nalaman kung sino ‘yung malalaglag. ‘Yung competition talaga dito sa Pinas sobrang bigat compared sa ibang regions,” Coach Jeffrey “Jeff” Manforte said, acknowledging the team’s effort despite the steep competition in the MPL stage.
“Maganda ‘yung ginagawa namin kaso mas maganda ‘yung ginagawa ng ibang teams,” he added.
Last season, AP.Bren suffered the same fate after falling to seventh place with only a 3-11 win-loss record.
Backed by the veteran presence of Arvie “Aqua” Antonio this time, AP.Bren showed flashes of brilliance, highlighted by a shocking 2-0 sweep over reigning M6 World Champions ONIC Philippines in Week 7 – showing that its sophomores have what it takes to compete with the proper guidance.
Sadly, internal hurdles held them back from a playoff return
Rising star jungler James “JamesPangks” Mendoza did not mince his words after the painful defeat.
“Disiplina inside and outside the game. ‘Yun na lang siguro magsasabi kong isa sa pinakamalaking kulang namin this season,” JamesPangks said.
On to the next for AP.Bren
Coach Jeff shared his own perspective on the team’s overall run, staying optimistic especially with their better showing in the second half of the tournament, post patch.
“Meron kasi kaming need ayusin na dapat leg 1 pa lang naayos na namin. Good thing nagkaroon ng big patch na doon talaga kami naka-adapt,” he said.
“Kung iko-compare ko ‘yung run namin tsaka bonding namin compared sa last season, mas okay ‘yung run namin ngayon,” he added.
With visible progress in team chemistry and mechanics, AP.Bren leaves Season 16 with lessons that could fuel a more confident and disciplined comeback in the next chapter of their MPL journey next season.
“Feel ko naman umangat kami ngayon kung iko-compare ‘yung last season namin. Kasi ‘yung last season namin parang sobrang takot namin mag-testing. Sobrang takot talaga namin gumalaw,” gold laner Jan "Shizou" Valdez shared.
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