IASI, ROMANIA - The Philippine National Esports Team (Sibol) secured a gold medal in the 2023 IESF Mobile Legends: Bang Bang event.
After suffering a grindy Game 1 loss against Indonesia, Sibol bounced back in convincing fashion securing three consecutive wins in the series. If Game 1 saw the match last for 29 minutes, the rest of the games saw Sibol dismantle their foes in 15 minutes or less.
Sibol's victory is a testament that despite Indonesia's rising prowess in recent tournaments, the Philippines is still a major threat in the Southeast Asian MLBB scene.
This is also means that the members of AP.Bren have successfully bagged its second gold medal given that they also won gold in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games. Meanwhile Kyle Angelo "Pheww" Arcangel secured his third gold medal as he won two SEA Games medals prior to the IESF 2023.
Indonesia outplayed
While Game 1 saw Sibol surprised by Indonesia's Diggie, the rest of the series saw the Filipino squad bounce back.
Game 2 saw a masterclass from Kyle "KyleTzy" Sayson as his Fredrinn bullied the opposition, garnering a 6/1/8 KDA. Combined his performances with the synergized playstyle of his teammates and it Sibol secured a convincing victory.
In Game 3, it was Marco "Super Marco" Requitiano who dictated the tempo with his Brody, garnering the match MVP and a 12/1/6 KDA.
He likewise followed up in Game 4 as his Irithiel took centerstage alongside the symphony of spells from his teammates, ultimately giving Sibol the gold medal.
AK bags silver medal
Meanwhile Sibol's Tekken 7 bid fell short of a gold medal as Alexandre "AK" Laverez lost to Pakistan's Atif "Atif Butt" Ijaz in the finale.
Atif's Akuma was simply dominant in the series, besting AK 5-2 in the series. The Filipino Tekken player tried juggling between Paul and his signature Shaheen in the first three rounds, only for him to be dismantled.
In match 4 onwards, AK decided to go for a mirror match, picking Akuma. It seemed momentum was about to swin as AK won the 4th and 6th match, however Atif won the rest of the games, and secured the gold medal.
Prior to his finals appearance, AK's Shaheen secured a 3-0 sweep over South Korea's Oh "Meo-IL- Dae-il's Geese Howard.
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