THE much-awaited matchup between two of the most explosive junglers in the M3 World Championship has finally reached a conclusion.
Though RRQ’s Albert “Alberttt” Neilsen Iskandar dominated the group stages as he averaged double digit kills while boasting a deathless record, his Filipino counterpart in Onic PH’s Kairi “Kairi” Rayosdelsol completely outshined him.
The rest of RRQ were also left stunned with his overall performances, leading to Onic PH’s 3-0 sweep on the Indonesian squad.
Onic PH unleashes a different beast
Kairi’s signature Lancelot and Ling became an overwhelming force for the Filipino hedgehog as he delivered sudden burst entrances, shocking the Indonesian squad.
In quick successions, Kairi would be seen diving through the turrets or charging inside the chokepoints.
Given the AOE damage and mobility of his heroes, he was able to explode and bedazzle his foes in every cylinder.
But it was in Game 3 where things took a different turn as he was forced to deploy a scalable hero instead of an aggressive damage dealing threat. Despite Onic's disastrous start, his late game Natan became a force to be reckoned with as RRQ was left scrambling from his long distance damage.
Markyyyyy and Baloyskie support
But Kairi alone wasn’t responsible for RRQ’s demise, as he had two solid backup options in Mark Christian “Markyyyyy” Ectobanez and Allen Jedric “Baloyskie” Baloy.
Kairi wouldn’t be able to engage without the additional damage that Markyyyyy provided. In Game 1, his Harith provided the slow effect to weaken RRQ, synergizing well with his sudden entrances. In Game 2, his Lylia’s barrage allowed Kairi to deliver the finishing touches.
Plus, it helped that Markyyy dominated his matchups, specifically in Games 1 and 2.
Meanwhile, Baloyskie’s supporting prowess gave Kairi the confidence he needed to engage. His Selena made crucial rotations and arrow plays, while he added the surprise factor with his Mathilda in Game 2.
He even contributed to the shut down on Yesaya “Xinnn” Armando Wowiling’s early game in the first two matches.
But it was in Game 3 where he was heavily tested, as he was easily bursted down at the early to mid stages of the game.
However even after suffering from numerous deaths, his clutch heroics led to a turnaround. At the 16th minute, he spearheaded Onic’s counterattack by hunting down Deden "Clayyy" Muhammad Nurhasan, allowing Onic to mount a massive comeback in Game 3.
This series even marked the first time he played heroes other than Rafaela.
Baloyskie expresses his respect for RRQ
When these two teams last met in the MPL: Invitational, RRQ was able to dominate the Filipino runner ups. After witnessing their prowess in their previous encounter, the Onic PH shotcaller narrated the sense of urgency that was needed.
“We had so much respect on RRQ that’s why I told my team to not relax and celebrate too early because they can comeback," said Baloyskie during the post-match interview.
He added: “Because RRQ is very strong and we've experienced a comeback before that’s why I don’t want it to repeat."
Though the matchup was expected to be a close encounter between the two titans, Baloyskie admitted that he never expected a clean sweep.
“They are the toughest opponent in M3. RRQ is very strong. We are confident to win 3-2"
By the end of the interview, he mentioned how his team felt after their victory while hoping for a finals matchup against the Codebreakers.
“For all of us, it felt like we were champions. All of us were hugging each other. Hintayin niyo yung matchup namin ng Blacklist sa finals!”
Onic PH will face the winner of the darkhorse matchup between Singapore's EVOS SG and North America's BTK, while RRQ will still carry on with their campaign, facing Blacklist International at the lower bracket.
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