RSG Philippines moved within a win of returning to the MSC after narrowly defeating Blacklist International, 3-1, in the lower bracket semifinals of the MPL Philippines Season 13 Playoffs at SM Southmall on Friday.
The MSC 2022 champions arranged a lower bracket finals showdown against Falcon AP.Bren, where the winner will snatch the last slot for MPL PH to the MSC in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
According to RSG head coach Brian “Panda” Lim, solid preparations really helped them conquer Blacklist, who will be missing the grand finals for the first time since missing the playoffs in Season 9.
“I think we were calmer today, especially regarding the drafting phase. The team had a plan for each phase of the game. Unlike our match against ECHO, where we weren’t really ready and composed in the draft and overall gameplay,” he explained.
RSG started strong with a remarkable performance in Game 1, led by Clarense “Kousei” Camilo (Harith), who delivered an immaculate MVP performance, finishing with an 8-0-5 KDA and leading his team to a dominating 19-2 kill score victory over Blacklist.
In Game 2, Arvie “Aqua” Calderon’s (Lou Yi) high IQ tactics guided RSG through a late-game dilemma. His Diversion play from the lord pit to the enemy base in the 20th minute proved unstoppable, leading to a successful base turret siege and putting RSG at match point with a 2-0 lead.
Despite faltering in Game 3, Nathanael “Nathzz” Estrologo unleashed a rampage in Game 4, finishing with a 6-0-1 KDA and securing the team’s last three kills to seal the series with a convincing 5-1 wipeout.
