Nexplay Evos snapped a three-game losing skid after a commanding 2-1 rout of TNC Pro Team in Week 5 of the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League (MPL) Philippines Season 11 on Friday.
With the win, the Minana-backed squad has now accumulated 10pts to inch closer to the top half of the standings. TNC on the other hand fell to its seventh loss that put them in danger of missing the playoffs for the second-straight season.
The conquest of TNC was a welcome development for rookie coach Joshua Alfaro who acknowledges the struggles the team faced against amateur teams. In their match-up against a rebuilding TNC, they had to go the distance and needed to have nerves of steel to finally come out with the victory in a tight three-game series.
“Right now nakikita namin ang differences ng pro-league (sa amateur). Sobrang laki kasi lahat malinis maglaro. Lahat pag pinagbigyan ng opening, nakakabawi eh. Unlike sa amateur na pag nadodominate namin yung early to mid (game), alam na namin kung pano tumapos,” the coach said.
In Game 1, NXPE started to control of the fight after Bien “BoyetDR” Chumacera (Paquito) scored a double kill during a 9th-minute team fight to secure the objective.
Jan Domenic “DomengDR“ Del Mundo (Melissa) then took over in the late game, finishing with a 3-27 KDA to notch the match MVP honors and gift NXPE the opener, 1-0.
It looked like a sweep was on the way when NXPE secured the 22nd-minute evolved lord but John Vincent “Innocent” Banal (Moskov) scored a double during the ensuing base turret defense to spark a 3-0 punish.
TNC secured the equalizer moments after with a successful base turret invasion.
Game 3 went down the wire with NXPE needing to tread beautifully during the 22nd-minute lord dance to pick off three enemy heroes and BoyetDR (Fredrinn) securing the lord to finally put away the Phoenix Army.
