AFTER SUFFERING from an embarrassing sweep against Echo on the 2nd day of the 8th season of the MPL-PH, the defending M2 World Champions, Bren Esports, were determined to regain momentum.
Their opponents? RSG-PH, consisting of MPL outcasts, rookies, and a famous gaming personality. Given their neophyte status, many expected them to finish at the bottom of the league.
However, the underdogs stunned the world champions in a grueling three game series.
In Game 1, both Bren and RSG played very cautiously in the early stages of the game. However, RSG got the upper hand, courtesy of Christian “Iy4knu” Manaog’s sudden entrances, surprising Bren’s backlines.
He was able to find the opening due to Earvin John “Heath” Esperanza’s Ruby setups. Their signature combo, combined with the pickoffs from Arvie “Aqua” Calderon’s Saber and John Cedrix “Demonkite” Caranto’s Harley, sealed their victory.
While Bren struggled to find a foothold in Game 1, they managed to redeem themselves in the second game. Realizing that RSG was very calculated with their engagements in the previous game, they selected Carlito “Ribo” Ribo Jr.’s Kaja and Twin Blades combo to weaken RSG’s momentum. His item choice and abilities was crucial in eliminating key targets in every teamfight.
But whie it seemed Bren had finally discovered RSG’s kryptonite by selecting Nana to counter Demonkite’s Benedetta, RSG unveiled their trump card with a 3-man Avarice setup. The constant gold accumulation allowed RSG to beef up their items, which was crucial in every teamfight, leading to their Game 3 triumph.
RSG’s surprising victory gives a very positive outlook on Coach Brian “Panda” Lim’s rebuilding project.
TNC once again dominates Nexplay EVOS
After their playoff encounter in season 7 and some heated exchanges between Frediemar “3MarTzy” Serafico and rookie Sanford “SanFord” Marin Vinuya, the much anticipated rematch between these two up-and-coming teams was underway.
But similar to their previous encounter, TNC completely ousted Nexplay EVOS with a commanding 2-0 sweep. The trio of Patrick “P-GOD” Grecia, 3MarTzy, and Dylan Aaron “Light” Catipon made crucial setups in slowing down Tristan “Yawi” Cabrera and John Paul “H2wo” Salonga.
Echo survives a late scare from Omega Esports
Meanwhile, Echo was able to sweep the SEA powerhouse, Omega Esports. Game 1 was a back and forth battle between the two teams until the 12th minute, where Christian “Rafflesia” Fajura and Frederic Benedict “Bennyqt” Gonzales made crucial plays to shut down the entire Omega roster.
Game 2 was a dominant display by Echo in the early stages of the game, even leading to a 9-0 stomp in the 8th minute, but Omega showed signs of resilience in the 12th and 16th minute. In order to deal with Omega’s potential comeback, Jaymark Aaron “Hadess” Lazaro targeted key members of Omega in the 20th minute, leading to Echo’s 2nd straight sweep in Week 1.
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