ELIMINATING the reigning M5 World Champions, Falcons AP.Bren in the thrilling lower bracket finals, Aurora Gaming punched their ticket to the MPL Philippines Season 14 Grand Finals and secured a spot at the M6 World Championship alongside Fnatic ONIC Philippines.
Defying all odds and exceeding expectations in Aurora’s debut in the league, Ben “Benthings” Maglaque opened up about fulfilling his dreams.
Before joining Aurora’s force of light, Benthings began his professional career with TNC Pro Team in Season 8, where he experienced a fair share of heartbreaking defeats and failures to reach the playoffs.
“Frustrating din talaga maging top 8 ng ilang beses. Yung stress parang hindi ko na nakikita yung sarili ko. Tapos nung nakalipat ako ng team, ang dami ko na-realize na mga bagay-bagay nung nandun pa ako sa stress moment ko,” Benthings reflected.
Benthings may have a million reasons to give up, but his faith in himself and trusting the process brought him to where he stands today.
“Siguro yung tiwala ko sa sarili ko kasi alam ko na may alam ako na pwede kong may ma-share sa [mga] kakampi ko. Confident din naman ako sa laro ko. Kaya talagang nag-explore ako na lumipat talaga ng team,” he said, stepping outside of his comfort zone to grow as a player.
After long seasons of playoff drought and chasing glory, Benthings and Jan "Domeng" Delmundo will be making their first ever MPL Philippines Grand Finals and M-Series appearance.
Benthings' retribution
“Nung last game na nakakakaba talaga siya lalo na nanggaling kami sa talo. Tapos nasa stage pa lang kami, nag-remind na agad si Coach Dex yung preparation na namin bukas yung pinag-uusapan namin doon sa stage after namin tumalon. Sobrang saya,” Benthings said, savoring the sweet victory against Falcons AP.Bren while keeping their sights set on the grand finals showdown against the powerhouse Fnatic ONIC Philippines.
Meanwhile, Benthings did not forget to take a moment to dedicate his milestone to the people who stood by him through thick and thin.
“Unang una sa sarili ko, kasi ang tagal ko na nag-grind sa ML and ang dami ko na na-sacrifice. Tapos syempre kay Lord. Tapos sa family ko, makakatulong na ako dahil sa pag-aaral ng kapatid ko at sa mga medicine ng parents ko,” he said, lending a helping hand to his family.
Despite not stepping into the center stage this season, Benthings’ clever mind in devising strategies and drafts earned the respect of Aurora’s team captain, Renejay “Renejay” Barcarse.
“Para sa akin, sobrang laki talaga tulong ni Benthings sa amin. Kasi una-una yung mga reminders niya, and yung mga ginagawa naming play minsan nanggagaling talaga siya kay Benthings. Kung wala siya baka wala kami dito,” Renejay said, crediting the contributions of Benthings to Aurora from behind the scenes.
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