Prieme Ejay “PlayHard” Banquil’s prolific Pangolier performance in Game Three sealed Neon Esports’ 2-1 upset of TNC Predator in the Dota Pro Circuit 2021: S1-Southeast Asia Upper Division, Saturday evening.
PlayHard was in the middle of it all in the winner-take-all game, providing eight kills and 17 assists against two deaths to lead Neon Esports’ ascent to the top of the standings with a flawless 3-0 win-loss slate.
John Anthony “Natsumi-” Vargas’ Wraith King also proved to be an unsolvable problem for the TNC side, with the Southeast Asian Games gold medalist putting up eight kills and 14 assists against one death. He also tallied a game-high 29,135 net worth in the 37:44-minute match.
The supporting cast of Gabriel “skem” Ong (Nyx Assassin) and Jaunuel “Jaunuel” Arcilla (Grimstroke) combined for a total of 37 assists and four kills along with 14 deaths.
TNC carry Kim “Gabbi” Villafuerte’s Morphling had a decent outing with 10 kills and four assists laced with seven deaths, but it was not enough as TNC Predator suffered their second loss of the season. Meanwhile, midlaner Armel “Armel” Tabios was held to just two kills, eight deaths, and 10 assists playing Kunkka.
Damien “Kpii” Chok added four kills, three deaths, and 11 assists in the loss as the TNC Predator dropped to the sixth spot with a 1-2 standing.
Neon Esports opened up Game One in dominant fashion, but TNC answered right back with a bullish performance of their own to even up the series.
Neon Esports looks to extend their unbeaten streak to four against fellow Filipino squad Execration of February 6, Saturday while TNC Predator will try and bounce back against Indonesia’s BOOM Esports on February 10, Wednesday.
