ON May 31, fresh out of their stunning defeat at MPL-PH, Execration’s Billy “Z4pnu” Alfonso tagged teammate Joshua “Ch4knu” Mangilog in a Facebook post.
“Pag nag champion tayo sa MSC bibigyan kita ng sports car Joshua Mangilog,” the longtime MPL-PH vet said.
Yesterday night, with the MSC championship finally in the bag — and Alfonso cradling his first trophy — many Twitter mentions (and even Omega Esports, and yes, even Ch4knu himself) reminded Z4pnu of his gallant promise.
So, during the post-match presscon, we asked Ch4knu what sports car he’d like.
“Yung pinakamahal na Mustang,” he said to Spin.ph, smiling mischievously.
Layers upon layers of storylines collided yesterday night in the Blacklist International-Execration faceoff at the MSC finals. An all-Pinoy final. A grudge match. A meta masterclass. But perhaps most satisfying for those who’ve been watching Pinoy Mobile Legends pros from the very start was seeing Z4pnu victorious.
“Aaminin ko, sobrang masaya ako kasi nakuha ko na yung trophy sa sobrang tagal na panahon,” Z4pnu told the press. Playing in the MPL-PH since the very beginning, the top spot on the podium has gotten close many times, but has so far eluded Alfonso — until now.
He added: “Di ako sumuko kasi alam ko darating rin yung time na magtsa-champion kami.”
With the trophy in the bag, the team is looking forward to much-needed R&R. The MPL-PH began on March 19, and it's been a non-stop grind for the team all the way to yesterday night's MSC.
“Sa tingin ko, sa ngayon, gusto muna namin ng bakasyon,” said the team’s coach Jomie “Pakbet” Abalos. “Grabe yung dinanas namin simula ng MPL-PH Season 7. Lower bracket nga kami nun. Di kami nagpahinga nun, walang day offs, hanggang ngayon, di kami nagre-rest. Tuloy-tuloy ang practice namin.”
But now that their tireless, all-consuming work ethic has finally led them to victory, “Kailangan muna namin ng bakasyon,” added Pakbet.
And with competing teams now conducting heavy negotiations and offseason moves to secure a better place in the upcoming Season 8, what preparations will Execration do?
“Yung plano namin sa MPL-PH Season 8, siguro, kailangan kumpleto pa rin kami. Ganun siguro magiging lineup namin,” he said.
The goal is simple. “Gusto namin ngayon, mag-champion naman sa MPL.”
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