By: Jan Marcus Montevirgen
After four seasons in the MLBB professional scene, Jan “Domeng” Del Mundo has finally reached his first grand finals and world championship, leading Aurora to victory over Falcons AP.Bren in the MPL Philippines Season 14 Lower Bracket Finals on Saturday.
Despite being a newly-formed team, Aurora cemented their status as a “superteam” by defeating three world champions—Team Liquid Philippines (formerly ECHO), Blacklist International, and Falcons AP.Bren—during the playoffs to earn their spot in the grand finals.
Heading into the championship round, Domeng expressed his excitement but emphasized that he wasn’t getting ahead of himself, knowing the real battle was still to come.
“Syempre first-time ko nga and kumbaga sobrang saya ko pero parang medyo binababa [yung pride] ko kase may grand finals pa bukas. So parang yung mindset ko ay masaya lang ako ngayon pero bukas hindi na kase magfo-focus ulit ako sa grand finals,” shared the former Minana EVOS gold laner in an exclusive interview with Tiebreaker Times.
Domeng was also thrilled that alongside his grand finals appearance, he had secured a spot representing the Philippines in the upcoming M6 World Championships—a dream he’s had since joining the league.
“Masaya din kase bago pa lang kami ngayon tapos nakarating na kami [sa worlds]. Ito talaga yung pinapangarap ko simula noong pumasok ako sa pro-scene na makapag-worlds and makapag-champion,” he continued.
In the grand finals, Domeng and Aurora will face Fnatic ONIC Philippines, which reunites him with former teammates Borris “Brusko” Parro, Jan “Kirk” Gutierrez, Brian “Spider-Milez” Santos, and Jeniel “HAZE” Bata-Anon. However, this time, they’ll be on opposite sides, with the stakes higher than ever.
The 16-year-old gold laner is eager to face them, especially since Aurora has yet to win a series against FNOP throughout the tournament.
“Masaya ako para sa amin sa narating namin ngayon. Bukas… Wala, magkalaban talaga kami parang good luck na lang,” Domeng said.
“Gigil ako manalo kase noong regular season and ngayon, playoffs, nilaglag nila kami. Ngayon, ‘yon yung pinanghuhugutan ko ng gigil—kumbaga parang gusto ko talagang bumawi sa kanila,” he concluded.
