Sibol would not be denied of a date with history on Sunday evening.
The Philippine Mobile Legends Bang Bang team toppled the fancied Indonesians in a cardiac five-game championship series, capturing the first-ever gold medal in the E-sports competition of the 30th Southeast Asian Games at the FilOil Flying V Centre.
Sibol started the game strong.
They chose to go the route of a marksman-less lineup in Game One of the title series, fielding in a three-man frontline of Grock, Baxia and Chou, with Helcurt and Harith serving up the damage.
It came as a disadvantage at first with an aggressive Selena-X-Borg duo. But when Jeniel “Haze” Bata-anon’s Grock and Karl Gabriel “KarITzy” Nepomuceno’s Baxia acquired their core items, the scales tipped to the Philippines’ favor.
Bata-anon’s Grock and Nepomuceno’s Baxia soaked in the damage in a pivotal clash near the Lord, buying some time for Kenneth Jiane “Kenji” Villa’s Chou to split push at the top lane to draw first blood.
The Indonesians, though, bounced back ferociously and imposed their will on the Filipinos through their crucial macro plays, securing the next two matches to inch closer to gold.
But Sibol sprung back to life in Game Four, and it was all thanks to Nepomuceno’s Esmeralda. His mastery of the melee-mage hero set the tone for the beleaguered Philippines, pulling all the necessary stops that allowed Angelo Kyle “Pheww” Arcangel’s Granger to get fed and dominate late.
Nepomuceno then went berserk once again in the winner-take-all decider. He went with Lunox and wasted no time seizing command, picking up seven kills at the first five minutes. That then paved the way for an 11-2 kill lead a little over the 10-minute mark.
It was all Philippines the rest of the way, as the quintet of Bata-anon, Nepomuceno, Arcangel, Villa, and Angelo Sancio “Lusty” Castromayor etched their names in the annals of history.
Of course, Sibol wouldn’t have been able to conquer the throne if not for their two-game sweep of Malaysia in the semifinals series.
Leaning on Bata-anon’s signature meat-shield heroes and Nepomuceno’s mage picks, the Philippines brewed the perfect blend of defense and offense to turn back the aggressive Malaysians.
Meanwhile, Sibol’s Dota 2 team barged into the championship round of the biennial meet after dispatching Vietnam, 2-0, in the upper bracket finals.
The rousing victory assured the Philippines of at least a silver medal.
Mc Nicholson “Mac” Villanueva went with Razor the Lighting Revenant, and embraced the role of carry in a marathon Game One. He showcased his efficiency on the battlefield to fend off the Mirana-led Vietnamese, emerging as the top gold earner and damage dealer.
Vietnam stood primed for a counter in Game Two following a series of kills in the early goings, but Sibol turned things around to punch its tickets to the Finals.
The best-of-five grand finals for Dota 2 between the Philippines and Thailand is slated on Monday, December 9, at the same venue.
