National University was a team on a mission — tearing through the competition and capping off its dominant run with a clinical 4–2 conquest of fellow Filipinos FAITH NOVUS Bravehearts in the grand finals to capture the Galaxy Gaming Academy Campus Series title on Sunday in Jakarta, Indonesia.
It was redemption for the Bulldogs, who avenged their heartbreaking reverse sweep loss to De La Salle University in the UAAP Season 87 Esports MLBB Tournament finals.
“Performance and draft-wise, we gave it our all, but props to FAITH Colleges—they really made us work for it,” said NU coach Patrick Balanquit after his squad pulled off a gritty championship finish.
“In Game 6, I was really nervous. It was such a close match, and we thought we had lost it after getting wiped out. But we got another chance — and maybe that was the sign that the championship was meant for us,” Balanquit shared, recalling the nerve-wracking moment when NU botched a base turret siege and was nearly forced into a winner-take-all Game 7.
In the decisive Game 6, the UAAP runners-up found themselves at a disadvantage during a late 20th-minute Lord fight, down 4-on-5.
But a clutch backline flanking maneuver by Johann Estacio (using Joy) turned the tide, allowing NU to score three unanswered pickoffs and execute a game-winning siege to seal the championship.
NU’s road to the finals saw the Sampaloc-based squad sweep Singaporean champions Banana Brawlers before cruising past Indonesia’s Team VL with a 3–1 win in the semifinals.
The Bravehearts of FAITH Colleges, based in Tanauan City, Batangas, earned their place in the grand finals by first edging out Singapore’s Team Secret in a tight 2–1 battle, followed by a dramatic come-from-behind 3–2 victory over Malaysia’s UUM x Boboyot in the final four.
In the Philippine qualifiers, the Bravehearts had earlier eliminated UAAP Season 87 champions De La Salle University in the quarterfinals.
With the victory, NU claimed the tournament’s $18,000 top prize, while FAITH NOVUS Bravehearts settled for $8,000 as runners-up.
