Many believed that the Philippine era had come to an end after Onic Esports swept AP.Bren in the upper bracket finals yesterday, but AP.Bren proved all doubters wrong.
Instead, the Philippine representatives cemented their legendary legacy on the world stage, becoming the first team to win the M-series and the IESF World Championship titles in the same year and securing the undisputed world champion title by defeating the Indonesian squad, 4-3, in the grand finals of the M5 World Championship on Sunday at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.
The key was forcing Onic’s Filipino import, Kairi “Kairi” Rayosdelsol, out of his comfort zone with assassin picks like Joy and Nolan.
“I think the main focus of what we adjusted from yesterday’s match boiled down to having Kairi play out of his comfort zone. As we progressed with the Bo7 series, we discovered that there are certain heroes they are prioritizing, so we managed on the fly,” explained AP.Bren coach Francis “Duckey” Glindro on how they managed to score the revenge win and take the world title against the Indonesian powerhouse.
Duckey, Angelo “Pheww” Arcangel, and David “FlapTzy” Canon have now become two-time world champions, joining Echo jungler Karl “KarlTzy” Nepomuceno, who previously won the M2 World Championship in Singapore.
The Hornets also achieved the unique distinction of being the only team in history to win two M-series world titles.
David “FlapTzy” Canon and Angelo “Pheww” Arcangel took turns leading AP.Bren in Game 1 and 3, allowing the Hornets to take a 2-1 series lead.
In Game 4, Kyle Angelo “KyleTzy” Sayson’s Akai took over as the Filipinos completely dismantled Onic, reaching match point with a 3-1 score.
However, Onic unleashed a spirited run to force a Game 7.
That was when AP.Bren went back to the drawing board and leaned on their comfort Brody and Fredrinn picks, translating into a dominant closeout win.
FlapTzy was declared the Finals MVP, matching his Finals MVP performance at the MPL Philippines Season 12 grand final.
