Fnatic ONIC kicked off the series aggressively, claiming all three turtle objectives to establish a comfortable gold lead and dominate the map over Selangor Red Giants.
Refusing to back down, Hazziq "Stormie" Rizwan, playing as Lou Yi, snatched the first lord objective from the hands of Fnatic ONIC at the 10-minute mark.
But the Super Family swiftly retaliated and ran down SRG for a 1-to-3 man exchange.
SRG held their ground against Fnatic ONIC, waiting for a window of opportunity for a comeback.
John "Innocent" Banal on Moskov attempted to pull off a backdoor play, but Fnatic ONIC kept a keen eye on the map to defend their base.
Jann "Kirk" Gutierrez on Edith claimed the crucial lord in the 19-minute fight, marking the match's turning point.
Duane “Kelra” Pillas on Bruno was hailed as the MVP with an excellent 6-2-14 KDA.
Sweeping the Giants
Continuing their dominant performance, Fnatic ONIC showed no mercy against SRG in the second game with the same constant pressure and aggression.
Fnatic displayed a scrappy defense and scorching offense against SRG, ending the match with all their turrets intact and a dominating 22-7 kill score.
Kelra, playing as Granger, earned back-to-back MVP citations after delivering a flawless 11-0-6 KDA.
The Gold Standard also provided his insights into the different form that SRG exhibited on M6 compared to their MSC stint.
“Parang ngayong sa M6, parang hindi sila magkakasama gumalaw. Medyo hiwa-hiwalay sila sa mapa. Dati sa MSC, dikit-dikit talaga sila, hindi sila naghihiwalay,” Kelra pointed out.
Despite opening their M6 Knockout Stage campaign on a high note, head coach Tony “YnoT” Senedrin left no room for complacency.
“Definitely, I was happy. Shocked a bit because of how these boys did during the game. I think they did exceptionally well. This ain’t the finals just yet, so it’s still a long way to go. We’re gonna be facing a strong team, in Falcon, we’re gonna have to review that. Let’s see. (It's) just about us trying to be consistent,” coach YnoT said.
Fnatic advances to the M6 upper bracket semi-finals to face Myanmar’s Falcon Esports, while SRG falls to the lower bracket.
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