RSG Slate Philippines snapped a two-game slide with a clutch 2-1 victory of TNC Pro Team to keep their upper bracket aspirations alive in Week 6 of the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League (MPL) Philippines Season 11 on Saturday.
After a string of three consecutive wins, RSG found themselves on the losing end of back-to-back close games against Onic Philippines and Smart Omega but successfully bounced back this time to improve to 6-4 with 18pts, just a point behind second-running Echo (7-2).
Visibly disappointed with his wards’ performance over the past two games after their 2-0 win against Echo, head coach Brian “Panda” Lim focuses on the bigger picture. He is not celebrating a win where his team committed various miscommunications and misplays that ultimately led to the slump.
“Even though we won, we didn’t really feel like we won,” he said. “Kasi we won dahil sa mistakes nila, hindi dahil maganda play or sa magandang comms.”
Game 1 boiled down to a 14th-minute skirmish where Ben “Benthings” Maglaque (Franco) decided to commit his Bloody Hunt on Dylan “Light” Catipon (Khufra) only to be punished by Dexter “Exort” Martinez’s (Kadita) Rough Waves that touched off a 3-0 pick off.
Eman “EMANN” Sangco (Melissa) joined the fray kill on Kristofer Malcus “Hesu” Calderon (Gloo) in the ensuing play that helped them complete the opening win, 1-0.
It looked like TNC was on the way for an equalizer when Robee Bryan “Ninjakilla” Pormocille (Lesley) scored a double kill during the 16th-minute lord fight that also took down all RSG inhibitor turrets.
But RSG managed to hold on until the 30th minute when King Cyric “K1NGKONG” Perez (Lancelot) secured the evolved lord followed by two pick-offs that gave TNC the win, 1-1.
TNC was in control of Game 3 courtesy of Benthings’s (Khufra) set-up play, highlighted by a pinpoint Tyrant’s Revenge on John Paul “H2wo” Salonga in the 19th minute. That helped them secure the evolved lord and take down all enemy inhibitor turrets.
But RSG did not let a small window in the 24th minute, when Benthings’ botched set-up was punished by EMANN’s (Karrie) double kill leading to a one-way push in the midlane to take the series.
