Filipino CODM players Shan Rouise “FDx” Mateo and Averson “Skerd” Salaya produced the goods once again to lead Stalwart Esports over all-PH team Elevate to punch their ticket to Sao Paolo, Brazil for the Snapdragon Pro Series (SPS) CODM Mobile Masters.
The Middle Eastern organization, which acquired former Singaporean team Powerhouse International and ALMGHTY, is anchored by Filipinos FDx and Skerd alongside their teammates from Singapore ‘Incendio’ and ‘IrfanJ’ and Indonesians ‘Sh4d4p’ and ‘Clove’ as they embark on another international journey playing Call of Duty Mobile.
‘Dominant’ Stalwart Esports run through APAC region
Stalwart Esports clinched their spot in Brazil after running through the competition in Garena (Southeast Asia) and Japan. The organization dominated the tournament from the SEA qualifiers up to the APAC challenge finals – never losing a single series in the process.
Stalwart first kicked down Elevate in the lower bracket, dominating them 3-0 in the Upper Bracket Finals to book a ticket to the Grand Finals with a one-map advantage.
Game 1 Hardpoint at Hacienda saw Stalwart putting up a valiant effort before falling short of a comeback to lose 211-250 as Elevate tied up the series at 1-1.
However, that was as close the all-PH team could go with Stalwart Esports showing why they were the better team all tournament long to win the next three games and clinch the series.
Defying expectations
“I couldn't believe that we won [the series vs Elevate],” FDx shared with SPIN.ph about winning the tournament. When we won, I burst into tears for the first time. That's how overwhelmed I was winning it.”
Skerd added he was also very happy winning the whole thing as the team was not able to get that much practice going into the tournament. “I'm very happy that we qualified [to Brazil] because to be honest before the tournament started, I was not expecting us [to be qualified] since we rarely practice over the past month.”
Stalwart took advantage in the grand finals when Elevate tried to take momentum after winning Game 1, but they were not to be deterred.
Stalwart displayed consistency and mental toughness to overcome Elevate in Game 2 Search and Destroy at Slums to win 7-5. They showed a proper balance of aggressive and passive playstyle to complete a comeback from down to 2-5 and win 5 straight rounds.
Stalwart then dominated Game 3 Control at Raid 3-0, never giving Elevate any signs of life to come back, and then finished them off in a tough Game 4 Hardpoint at Summit, 250-232, behind Clove’s 55 kills to seal the deal and secure the ticket to Sao Paolo.
“Winning this [APAC region tourney] has made me more confident competing in Brazil,” FDx added.
Clove's impact
However, being hands down the best team in the tournament did not happen by coincidence. A huge part of it was thanks to the addition of Indonesian CODM prodigy Andhika ‘Clove’ Putra, moving IrfanJ to a bench role.
Clove immediately immersed himself when he got to the team and provided FDx and Skerd additional firepower at the SMG position. He lifted the team to new heights, increasing their ceiling and potential to allow Stalwart Esports to become the best team in the APAC region.
“Clove was a perfect addition to the team,” FDx said. He really is indeed a GOAT [one of the best out there] player.
“Clove's addition to us made a lot of impact. We saw his commitment and the way he's trying his best to communicate with the team,” Skerd added.
‘A chance to explore and travel to other countries’
Playing pro-CODM has allowed players to go overseas and go to other countries and have the opportunity to travel and explore places they have never been to before.
FDx and Skerd cherish these types of opportunities considering how rare and difficult it is to get to that level since there are only a few slots for teams in Garena compared to regions like North America and Latin America.
“I've been out of the country twice already for playing CODM – in China and India,” FDx shared. Brazil’s going to be the third time and I am blessed with the opportunity that God gave me and I will always cherish what he gives me. Winning in Garena isn't an easy thing to do. It requires a lot of discipline and hard work. It also drains you physically and mentally, and I'm glad it all paid off.”
Skerd echoed FDx’s statement and reflected on a feat not everybody can accomplish in the country and the entirety of Southeast Asia.
“3 times and counting,” Skerd said. “Last year we also went to India and the USA to compete and hopefully this year we can explore different countries. I’m very thankful to God and my teammates because we all know that it is hard to play in the Garena region considering the few slots given to us.”
— — —
With Stalwart Esports’ qualification, the cast has been completed to compete in Sao Paolo. Here are all of them:
-Seminal (North America)
-The Rejects (North America)
-Galorys (Latin America, Brazil)
-Amigos (Latin American, Brazil)
-Kings (Europe)
-GodLike (India)
-Qing Jiu Club (China)
-Stalwart Esports (APAC and Japan)
FDx, Skerd, and Stalwart Esports would once again face off with fellow Filipinos on these teams, namely Seminal in Kent “Banned” Nerves and Christian “Washy” Manalo from North America and Kings in Geneil Rae “Neil” Dacanay from Europe.
These teams will fight it out starting on April 12-14 with a total prize pool of 200,000 USD, with the champions taking the lion’s share of 90,000 USD.
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