After facing off against his former wards in ECHO during the group stage, RRQ Hoshi head coach Michael “Arcadia” Bocado had the opportunity to share the M4 World Championship stage with another familiar face on Friday.
Arcadia, whose team landed on the lower bracket after a tight 3-2 loss to Blacklist International, went up against his former assistant and technical coach Steven “Dale” Vitug and his Falcon Esports in the quarterfinals.
The one-time MPL PH champion coach eventually got the best of his former comrade as RRQ Hoshi fended off Falcon Esports’ comeback attempt and sealed the series in five games which ultimately eliminated the Myanmar-based team.
While he was definitely happy with how his team bounced back, Arcadia admitted that he had mixed emotions about the win, especially since it meant that Dale and his team could no longer continue their journey in the M4 World Championship.
Arcadia, though, is confident that his good pal will bounce back strongly from this setback and lead Falcon Esports to greater heights come the next MPL cycle.
(C) MOONTON Games
“Mixed feelings because Dale and I are good friends. But I know sanay na rin siya sa two sides of esports and he will bounce back from this,” Arcadia told TIebreaker Times in an exclusive interview.
He also lauded Dale for his impact on the Burmese squad, who finished the 16-team tourney in 5th-6th place. The last time that a Myanmar squad played in the world tilt was back in the M2 World Championship where Burmese Ghouls fell short of the title after losing to Bren Esports.
“For sure malaki yung impact ni Dale kasi yun nga, nakasama ko siya and I know this guy is very smart and he’s a good person to work with so I think when it comes to impact, I think it’s really big,” Arcadia said.
Arcadia and RRQ Hoshi will take on the winner of the ONIC Esports-The Valley series in the lower bracket semifinals tomorrow, Saturday at 3:00 PM.
