FALCON ESPORTS may be one of the dark horses in the M6 World Championship and given their status of beating powerhouses like Selangor Red Giants and Aurora, they could give Fnatic ONIC Philippines a run for their money.
But in this best-of-five encounter between the Filipino squad and the Burmese giants, it was Fnatic ONIC who survived their prowess, prevailing with a 3-2 edge.
The win gives FNOP a sure top three finish as they proceed to the upper bracket finale.
Fnatic's aggression too much for Falcon
It took 11 minutes for FNOP to slay their rivals in Game 1 with Duane "Kelra" Pillas having a flawless display with his Bruno. Like in previous matches, Kelra's calculated entrances sealed the deal where he would surprise his opponents with his sudden assaults.
It likewise helped that he had solid frontliners in King Cyric "K1NGKONG" Perez' Fredrinn and Jann "Kirk" Gutierrez' Chou, plus some added sustain from Borris "Brusko" Parro's Mathilda and Frince "Super Frince" Ramirez' Faramis, which overwhelmed the Falcons.
The 2nd game took longer as it lasted for 17 minutes, but the scoreline was very lopsided in favor of the Hedgehogs. With a 15-4 kills advantage, Falcon had no room to keep up with the pace of the Filipino squad.
The Super Family dissected majority of the engagements of Falcon, as Yehtet "KidX" Sithu struggled to find an opening with his Tigreal.
With their backs against the wall, Falcon made key adjustments and it was also a blessing that Min "Beni" Kon was able to utilize his signature hero, Bruno. He delivered a masterclass in both Games 3 and 4, and it likewise helped that the Burmese squad had a hidden trumpcard through their double revitalize composition in Game 4.
All of this leading to the final game where FNOP banned Beni's Bruno and once he was out, the tides started to shift. The cruise control which happened in the first two games returned, which was further punctured by Brusko's 18th minute Raging Sandstorm entrance, and Fnatic finally secured the nail in the coffin.
With their victory, FNOP will face the winner of the series between RRQ Hoshi and Team Liquid ID.
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