AP.Bren opened their MPL Philippines Season 16 campaign on a high note Saturday, securing a much-needed victory — a stark contrast to last season when they failed to notch a win until pulling off a sweep against familiar rivals Smart Omega.
At the heart of AP.Bren’s strong start was rookie Denniel “xNova” Gomez, who made an immediate impact in his debut. Playing Khufra in the deciding Game 3, xNova’s fearless performance drew comparisons to Joshua “Ch4knu” Mangilog, known for his clutch plays on the same hero.
“Nung papunta dito, kinabahan ako. Pero yung kaba na yun, hindi siya pressure—kaba siya na excitement. ‘Yan yung naramdaman ko,” said xNova, sharing the emotions he felt heading into his first MPL match.
In the decider, AP.Bren seized control after xNova’s timely initiation led to a crucial pickoff, giving Jamespangks the space to comfortably secure the Lord objective at the 10-minute mark.
The rookie continued to impress, connecting another precise Tyrant’s Revenge setup on Dean “Raizen” Sumagui’s Hayabusa in the 14th minute. He capped off his stellar debut with a two-man Tyrant’s Revenge inside the enemy base, sealing the series victory for AP.Bren.
In an exclusive interview with Tiebreaker Times, xNova broke down his thought process during those pivotal plays, showing the composure of a veteran despite being on the big stage for the first time.
“Kino-call ko talaga kung aabot ba sila, kung kaya ba nila patumbahin yung mga target ko. Naghihintay lang ako ng acknowledgment kung igo-go namin. Kung mahirap i-execute at hindi sila makasunod, hindi ko ginagawa yung set,” he explained.
Even the final, series-clinching play was his call.
“Call ko na po yun eh, na kaya kong hulihin yung Granger 100%, tapos nagtiwala na lang sila sa akin,” recalled xNova.
Now officially part of the MPL spotlight, xNova is eager for his next challenge — a face-off against a familiar rival, former RRQ Kaito teammate Edferdz “Ferdz” Fernandez, who also won his debut a day earlier.
“Kasi ang tagal namin nagkasama, eh. Tatlong season sa MDL. Huling laban pa namin Season 2 ng MDL. Ngayon lang ulit kami magtatapat,” said xNova on his highly-anticipated matchup.
