BTK may have secured turtle objectives in the early game, but Fnatic ONIC did not trail far behind in terms of gold lead.
Fnatic ONIC and BTK both proceeded with caution, which resulted in a low-scoring game. But the Filipino Hedgehogs knew exactly the perfect timing when to commit during teamfights.
BTK’s Michael "MobaZane" Cosgun, playing as Soyou, mounted an epic lord objective steal during the 19-minute period.
But Fnatic ONIC wiped out BTK as revenge, winning the first game of the series.
The Gold Standard, Duane “Kelra” Pillas, demonstrated that his world-class marksmanship can make any hero work exceedingly well.
Kelra pierced through from the back line safely and earned the MVP badge with a perfect 5-0-4 KDA.
Paying tribute to CikuGais
The Layla pick was the countermeasure to challenge Bruno head-on in the gold lane, but the debut pick meant something else—a tribute to Muhammad "CikuGais" Fuad of TODAK.
“I think it’s a tribute to Malaysia, to the great ChikuGais. Kelra respects Ciku very much. So it’s something that he thought about. It might counter Bruno, and it was a success,” head coach Tony “YnoT” Senedrin said during the broadcast interview with Rose.
“We did try it against Bruno in our practices, and it seemed to work out. So yeah, it was an obvious choice then,” coach Ynot explained during the post-game interview.
Meanwhile, Kelra hoped for the opportunity to meet one of his idols in the near future.
“Kay Ciku, ang message ko sa kaniya, sana next time magkita kami sa susunod na international [tournament],” said the Gold Standard.
Kelra proves his arsenal of heroes
In game two, BTK poured their hearts out in efforts to prolong and tie the series.
BTK denied Fnatic ONIC from taking lord objectives, resulting also in a massive gold difference and map control as the timer ticked on.
Ziameth-Jei "ZIA" Caluya on Bruno achieved an excellent 7-1-7 KDA, helping BTK tie the series at one score apiece with Fnatic ONIC.
In game three, Fnatic ONIC found their rhythm once again to stave off BTK from ultimately taking the series.
Fnatic ONIC and BTK fought tooth and nail, but Kelra on Irithel exploded with a maniac kill score as a finishing touch during the base siege.
Kelra on Irithel proved that he is a cut above the rest, earning the MVP citation after delivering an impressive 11-1-5 KDA.
Fnatic ONIC completed a clean sweep of the M6 Swiss Stage, 3-0, qualifying for the Knockout Stage along with RRQ Hoshi of Indonesia.
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