Rather than seeing their first loss against ONIC PH as a setback, Aurora takes it as a learning opportunity to find what needs to be improved.
“Hindi po namin goal yung 14-0 or yung manalo nang manalo kasi mas maganda na ito na talo kami nang maaga. So maganda na rin ito na ngayon kami matatalo kaysa doon pa sa playoffs. So ngayon pa lang malalaman na namin mga kailangan pa namin i-adjust,” team captain Renejay “Renejay” Barcarse said.
A loss can shatter one’s morale or spirit, yet for Renejay, it fueled his determination to bounce back stronger in the upcoming matches.
“Naging maganda rin talaga yung adjustment kanina ng ONIC against samin. Medyo nahirapan kami kanina kaya parang naging one-sided yung mga games. Magandang talo ito para sa mga susunod naming laban,” Renejay added, applauding ONIC’s swift adjustments.
No room for complacency
Aurora continues to lead the standings with an impressive 8-1 record, having defeated every team in the first half of the season, yet complacency never crossed Renejay’s mind.
“Never po kami naging relaxed. Kasi ako po personally, mindset ko, nandito na kami sa taas. Kami na yung nasa number 1. Ba't pa ako magiging relaxed? Kumbaga, kung nandito na ako, kailangan mas galingan ko pa,” Renejay expressed, determined to give his best each time he hits the MPL stage.
Many believed Aurora had their eyes set on beating ONIC Philippines' 13-0 win streak record from last season, but they were more concerned with steady improvement than chasing records.
“Para sa amin kasi never naman namin tinignan yung win streak. Ang tinitingnan lang talaga namin is yung every match kung ano yung performance namin, kung ano yung plano namin, ano yung prepare namin sa bawat match,” coach Aniel “Master the Basics” Jiandani said.
Bakit natalo ang Aurora?
ONIC Philippines and Aurora went toe-to-toe in their highly awaited rematch. Cedrix “Demonkite” Caranto provided an honest take on what made the difference in the thrilling game three battle.
“Feel ko para sa akin, yung first turtle. Bali, parang nag-rush kasi ako sa turtle na makapunta para maka-follow up sa kanila. Nakalimutan ko yung trabaho ko bilang Lucas Jungle. Medyo nag-fall off yung early game namin. Then nahirapan na kami humahawak ng mapa. So nagtuloy-tuloy yung snowball,” Demonkite explained, admitting to his errors during game three against ONIC.
Meanwhile, Renejay took accountability as well, acknowledging his and the team's failure to remind Demonkite of his role as a jungler instead of letting him take the blame alone.
“Tingin ko may factor din po yung sa execution namin kasi feeling ko winnable naman yung game three namin. Katulad ng sinabi ni Kite na nakalimutan niya yung trabaho niya as jungler. Tapos kami nakalimutan din namin ipaalala sa kaniya. Sa tingin ko as a team naman yung mali namin,” Renejay added.
The ability to stay true to your system, swiftly adapt to the META, and focus on your strengths could be the winning formula—a lesson learned by coach Master the Basics during their match against ONIC PH.
“I think number one talaga yung adjustment sa update. Yun yung pinakamagandang naging adjustment nila (ONIC). Adjustment sa series. Nakapag-adjust talaga sila. Siguro nag-stick lang talaga sila kung ano yung ginagawa nila. Since last season, meron na silang sistemang sinusunod na ginagawa pa rin naman nila lagi,” coach Master the Basics pointed out.
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