THE PREVIOUS weeks saw these two fan favorite teams on the opposite spectrum: As Nexplay EVOS experienced an ascent, Omega Esports was on the decline.
But Omega was able to kickstart their resurgence after winning against Onic PH, and then silenced their doubters by dispatching Nexplay EVOS in a 2-1 slugfest.
The series was defined by the E2MAX, Raizen, and Ch4knu combo.
E2MAX, Raizen, and Ch4knu show for Omega
Similar to their match against Onic PH, the trio became a devastating force against the Roaring Tigers with Patrick James “E2MAX” Caidic once again showing his mastery with his Selena and Joshua “Ch4knu” Mangilog proving to be a pest with his crowd control prowess.
Ch4knu zoned out key members from NXP, allowing Dean Christian “Raizen” Samagui to engage.
And the trio was even a threat to John Paul “H2wo” Salonga, who never found any room to control the jungle. Even when he managed to silence an Omega member with his Helcurt pick, Omega had other options, like relying on Renz Errol “Renzio” Cadua to provide the follow-up assaults.
Though this combo was effective in Game 1, Nexplay was able to adapt by unveiling their Gloo pick. It was the perfect answer as Omega went for the usual E2MAX Selena arrow + Ch4knu crowd control, but Jeff “S4gitnu” Subang’s Gloo negated that strategy and limited the opposition’s follow ups.
S4gitnu was also more than a defensive presence. He even turned into setup artist with Renejay “RENEJAY” Barcarse’s Ruby as the duo caught key targets.
Emanuel Cervantes “Elpizo” Candelaria and John Paul “H2wo” Salonga also double-teamed for a surprise factor completely overwhelmed Omega.
But Omega's turnaround came with a Gloo ban in Game 3. While they allowed Nexplay to select Renejay’s signature Franco, but Omega was able to read them like a book and surprised them with a strong counter-initiation setup.
There were cases when Nexplay was able to catch a key threat, but Ch4knu responded with his Chou to shut down any follow-up attempt.