Renejay Barcase came down with the flu days before MPL Philippines Week 1, but he still led Blacklist International to two lopsided victories on their way to their third consecutive win.
With his signature Chou pick in hand, Renejay spearheaded the three-time MPL PH champions with precise initiations and set-up plays during their dominant victories over Minana in Game 1 and Game 3.
He finished with a stellar 0-1-8 KDA in the opener, conceding his only death during the final moments of the match, while he had a flawless 1-0-4 record in Game 3, where Blacklist secured a 10-0 shutout in the kill tally.
However, the MPL veteran was visibly suffering from the illness when he faced the media after the match.
“Meron po akong sakit. Kanina nga po, wala talaga ako sa laro kahit sa first game. Di po ganun kaganda yung mood ko simula nung pag gising ko,” admitted Renejay.
“Kanina minsan may mga kailangan ako sabihin na di ko nasasabi. “
The star roamer revealed that he initially fell ill on Tuesday, two days after they completed a 2-0 sweep of Smart Omega in the first week of MPL PH action.
“Di ko po alam ba’t ako nagkasakit eh. Kaya nga 50-50 din ako nun. Wala ako sa mood kada scrim kasi sabi kila coach na nahihirapan talaga ko,” he said.
Concerned about his well-being, the Hitman’s coaches gave him the option to sit out their first match in Week 2.
“Kung di ko daw kaya, pwede naman ako palitan ni Kimpoy. Sabi ko po sa coachces, ako na muna lalaro kasi sayang momentum namin. Sabi ko laban na yan kahit may sakit ako,” he said
Renejay remained committed to his team, not allowing the flu to disrupt their preparations for the week and pushing himself to persevere through the illness to fight for his team.
“Kasi ako na rin yung nagpractice para this week eh so di ko rin pwedeng iwan yung team ko sa ere porke may sakit lang ako kaya nilaban ko na po,” said the resolved Renejay.
“Kahapon tinanong sa akin kung kaya ko maglaro. Sabi ko, sige laban na. lang kako. Ako na rin kasi nagpractice. Ayoko na rin kako na iwan sila kasi parang kaya ko naman.”
However, the flu didn’t matter as Blacklist easily defeated Minana in dominant fashion.
