AP.Bren brought Smart Omega back down to earth after their impressive debut, securing a dominant 2-0 victory in Week 1 of the MPL Philippines Season 16 on Saturday at the Green Sun Hotel in Makati City.
For AP.Bren head coach Jeffrey “Jeff” Manforte, it was a statement win fueled by the team’s hunger for redemption following a disappointing campaign last season.
“Siguro sobrang confident lang namin maglaro ngayong season. Lahat kami gigil bumawi eh kasi ito yung redeem season ng line-up namin. Pagpatak namin gusto na talaga namin maglaro sa stage. Gigil lang talaga,” explained Coach Jeff.
“Yung Game 2 di naman kami natalo na lamang talaga sila sa game. Kami yung nagkaka-error nun kaya nag-usapusap lang kami na mas disiplinado yung Game 3 para matapos namin nang malinis.”
Shizou spearheaded AP.Bren’s rampage in Game 1, kicking off their dominance with a triple kill during the 10th-minute lord fight, leading to a 5-for-0 wipeout that gave the Hive full control.
He maintained his aggressive pace, finishing the 22-minute opener with eight kills, three assists, and no deaths.
In Game 2, Raizen carried Smart Omega’s resurgence, clawing back from an early deficit with a 5-2-8 KDA that forced a deciding Game 3.
But AP.Bren rookie xNova stepped up in the decider, delivering critical setups with precise Tyrant’s Rage plays on Raizen (Hayabusa) that secured consecutive lord objectives.
xNova capped off his stellar debut with a clutch two-man Tyrant’s Revenge setup midway through the 19th minute, catching Kenneth “Netskie” Barro (Granger) and sealing the sweep for AP.Bren.
