Nexplay EVOS scored another upset, booting out RSG PH via a 3-1 victory to enter the finals of the SIBOL National Team Selection powered by SMART, Sunday afternoon.
After taking out Jonard “Demonkite” Caranto (Karina) and Dylan “Light” Catipon (Ruby) late in Game Three, Nexplay EVOS secured the Luminous Lord with ease. The team then marched for the game-winning siege with John Paul “H2wo” Salonga’s Paquito leading the way.
H2wo ended up with 11 kills, a death, and an assist in the 16-12 win which punched Nexplay EVOS’ ticket to the finale where they will go up against Blacklist International for the right to represent the Philippines in the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Vietnam.
Overall team effort towed Nexplay EVOS to a big 14-7 Game One win in just 13 minutes and 44 seconds.
Kenneth “CADENZA” Castro’s Jawhead was all over the place, collecting a game-high 11 assists laced with one death. H2wo’s Hayabusa added eight kills, three deaths, and two assists, while Marius “DONUT” Tan’s Wanwan had four kills and six assists without a death.
RSG PH evened the series at 1-1 on the back of Christian “Iy4knu” Manaog’s Brody, taking a lopsided 15-4 win in 15 minutes of 29 seconds. He finished with seven kills and four assists against one death in the contest.
CADENZA once again proved his worth, delivering the crucial initiations that brought Nexplay EVOS back in Game Four. He delivered three kills and eight assists against just one death on Grock in the 16-12 win in 21 minutes and 32 seconds.
RSG PH’s loss meant that coach Brian “Panda” Lim and EXP laner Kenneth “Kenji” Villa — members of the 2019 national team that won gold in Manila — will miss the country’s title-retention bid in Vietnam.
With this, Jeniel “Haze” Bata-anon is now the only remnant of the 2019 team that is still eligible to be part of the 2021 squad.
The Nexplay EVOS-Blacklist International showdown will be at 6:00 PM later in the day.
