By: Jan Marcus Montivergen
RSG Philippines halted its two-game losing streak with a dramatic reverse sweep, 2-1, against the winless TNC Pro Team in MPL Philippines Season 14 on Sunday at the Green Sun Hotel in Makati.
The pivotal moment for the Raiders came during a crucial 13th-minute Lord skirmish when Dylan “Light” Catipon (Chou) eliminated Ken “Kzen” Pile (Julian).
This key play led to a wipeout for TNC, allowing RSG to push down the mid-lane and finish the game shortly thereafter.
Light’s exceptional performance earned him the MVP of the Game with a flawless KDA of 11 assists.
“I’m just really thankful that the draft that we wanted to execute really worked well. The communication of the team was more organized. Pero there are still so daming things na kailangan pang ayusin. Pero yung left (Aqua) and right (Light) ko [they’re the] heroes today,” said head coach Brian “Panda” Lim during the post-match interview.
In Game 1, TNC drew first blood as Christian “HEADS” Morada’s Phoveus continually disrupted the backlines with his Infernal Pursuit ultimate, creating opportunities for his teammates to focus on the frontlines.
Despite this early advantage, RSG found their rhythm by the 14th minute. John “1rrad” Tuazon (Julian) secured the Lord, and Salvick “Kouzen” Tolarba (Natan) executed a decisive bottom-lane back-door play, ending the game shortly after.
HEADS was named MVP for Game 1 with a KDA of four kills, seven assists, and one death, while Kouzen contributed with two kills, three assists, and one death.
RSG extended the series to a decisive third game in Game 2, thanks to an outstanding performance from Arvie “Aqua” Antonio on Zhuxin.
Aqua’s exceptional play proved to be the greatest threat for TNC throughout the game, finishing the 13-minute, five-second match with two kills and 14 assists.
RSG Philippines will next face Blacklist International on September 21 at 2:30 PM.
Meanwhile, TNC Pro Team will go up against the top-seeded Fnatic ONIC Philippines at 5:00 PM on the same day.
Both matches will take place at the same Makati venue.
