THE FILIPINO SLAYERS.
That was the monicker given to South Korea's Nongshim RedForce after securing victories over three Philippine teams in the Honor of Kings Invitational 2025 Season 3 tournament.
The Philippines had the homecourt advantage as the festivities took place in SM North EDSA, yet this didn't seem to faze the South Korean squad.
Each victory gave them the momentum that would push them forward.
"We didn't intend to do it but we managed to defeat three Philippine teams and once we defeated each of them, we felt ecstatic. We were so hyped," started midlaner Jo "Illusion" Seung-bin.
"And because of that sensation, we didn't feel intimidated by the Filipino crowd, in fact we became more excited to showcase our skills in front of the Filipinos."
Overcoming Blacklist International
This was evident in their battle against Blacklist International in the semifinals. Down 0-3, it seems everything was lost for Nongshim RedForce.
But a game 4 victory changed everything, which spearheaded a miraculous 4-3 turnaround.
"We lost three games in a row, however once we won we had a shift in mindset where we were like, 'Maybe we can try," reflected You "Fey" Min-gyu.
It was a crushing blow for the Filipino hopefuls who devoted their time cheering for the last remnant of their quest for championship glory, and one may expect the crowd to feel bitter on the outcome.
But even when no Filipino team made it into the finals due to Nongshim's valiant efforts, the home crowd ended up showing their hospitality to Nongshim.
Filipino hospitality
Before they entered the press conference, a huge crowd swarmed the South Korean squad. Due to the grindy nature of the final series which ended around 10 PM, SM North EDSA was on the verge of closing down, but this didn't deter the Filipino crowd to line up and take photos with the team.
And upon seeing the overwhelming reactions from the crowd, Nongshim's top laner Min "Kyoung9" Kyung-hyun hopes to see more of the Filipino crowd in the grand finale, where they'll be facing Malaysia's Nova Esports.
"We really appreciated the support and love from the Filipino community despite us dethroning each of the local representatives. We're hoping that more will come to cheer for us on the final day."
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