THE PRESSURE is on for these two fan favorite teams.
Locked in a losing slump, Nexplay EVOS regained its groove and secured a commanding 2-0 sweep over Bren Esports. Despite the latter's momentous victory over Onic PH, Bren was unable to sustain its momentum, as RENEJAY's heroics and Nexplay's positioning in defending Marius Villamero "DONUT" Tan won the day for the Roaring Tigers.
Roaring back with a vengeance for Nexplay EVOS
At the early stages of Game 1, both Bren and Nexplay were exchanging blows led by the movements from Allan “Lusty” Castromayor Jr. and Renejay “RENEJAY” Barcarse.
Lusty was tasked to deny the Real-World Manipulation from Jeniel “YellyHaze” Bata-anon, while his rival RENEJAY provided to reconnaissance against Lusty’s Franco.
But as the match went on, Nexplay’s positioning proved to be the difference maker.
John Paul “H2wo” Salonga had a flawless Game 1 performance, garnering 7 kills and 0 deaths as he patiently waited for the right opportunity to strike with his Paquito.
This complemented the other antics from the Roaring Tigers. During the final Lord fight, Vincent Joseph “Pandora” Villones Unigo tried to target DONUT, but with YellyHaze poking Pandora’s Esmeralda with a magic barrage, he was forced to retreat.
It also didn’t help that Nexplay’s signature Gloo pick from Rainiel Jhim “URESHII” Logronio, as well as RENEJAY’s Chou, zoned out key members from Bren, which limited their impact in teamfights.
Their antics carried on in Game 2.
RENEJAY was once again a pest with his Chou, even slaying Mujahid “LORD MALIKK” Malik while securing the early turtle objectives.
Besides serving as an early-game dynamo, his heroics extended throughout the game where he zoned out a key threat.
Bren tried desperately to look for ways to weaken the Roaring Tigers. They tried to assault DONUT, only for the other members like H2wo and URESHII to provide the defensive cover, leading to Nexplay’s impressive 2-0 sweep... a perfect way to end the losing slump.
How H2wo regained his confidence
A string of losing performances has led to H2wo doubting himself. He even posted cryptic Tweets online caused by the criticisms he received.
He explained in a post-match interview the inner turmoil he experienced.
"Noong natalo kami (against RSG) down na down ako noon eh kase parang ako nanaman yung sisisihin ng mga tao kase the more na iniisip ko yung mga sinasabi ng tao mas lalong nasisira yung laro ko," he reflected.
This was further confirmed by his teammate RENEJAY saying, "Malakas naman talaga siya eh, wala naman nagbago sa laro niya. Masyado siyang nag-o-overthink sa mga sinasabe ng tao," said the Nexplay roam player."
In order for him to regain his confidence, a mental reset was required.
"So, nag-reset ako ng mindset na dapat may tiwala ako sa sarili ko, tapos mag-stay ako sa laro ko kase pinipilit nilang ibalik yung Season 6 na laro eh. Eh wala hindi na babalik yun kase paiba-iba ng meta," he said.
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