At the conclusion of the regular season of MPL Indonesia Season 12, Allen “Baloyskie” Baloy and the rest of Geek Fam ID experienced their biggest heartbreak when RRQ Hoshi’s victory on the final day relegated them to a do-or-die series to start the playoffs.
“Yung Game 3 na ng RRQ, sobrang kaba ang nararamdaman ko. Pero nung nanalo na sila, kailangan na lang talaga naming mag-move on kasi mahirap umasa na makakapasok sa upper bracket nang hindi kami ang nagdi-dictate,” said Baloyskie in an exclusive interview with Tiebreaker Times.
In the final series of MPL ID this season, Dewa United pushed the kings of kings to the limit and even took control of the early game before a disastrous turtle fight turned the match into a one-sided affair.
RRQ went on to finish with an 11-5 record, securing the second spot and the last ticket to the upper bracket, while sending Geek Fam to third place with a 10-6 record.
Baloyskie admitted to having regrets after once again falling short of the upper bracket berth, reminiscent of their Season 11 campaign where they lost their last match, and RRQ won to secure the upper bracket.
“Regret ko dun, late na ako nag-all in. Nung first leg kasi hindi ako all in e. Naglalaro ako ng ibang game tapos ako’y nadidistract,” revealed Baloyskie.
Geek Fam lost four of their first five matches and was near the bottom of the standings at the end of the first half of the season with a 3-5 record.
“Pero overall, okay lang naman. Ang goal naman ay manalo ng championship o mag-qualify sa M5, kaya kahit sa upper o lower bracket, nagfo-focus lang kami,” he said.
Geek Fam became the hottest team in the second half of the season, winning seven out of eight matches.
He is also confident that last season’s bitter memory, where they squandered a 2-0 series lead over eventual runners-up Evos Legends in the playoffs, gave them the lessons needed to make a deep run in Season 12.
“Nung nakaraang season, siguro may mga kakampi pa akong may kakulangan sa ganung mga moment, pero ngayon na sila ay nakakuha na ng experience sa pamamagitan ng Evos. Si Nnael na lang ang kulang sa experience kaya mas handa na kami.”
