Van “Van” Manalaysay stepped up as Cignal Ultra bagged a 2-1 victory over Army Geniuses in the Dota Pro Circuit 2021: S1 – Southeast Asia Lower Division, Wednesday afternoon.
With the victory, Cignal Ultra forged a tie with fellow Filipino squad Omega Esports at the top of the lower division standings with 3-0 records.
Van led the Warriors in Game One with six kills and 10 assists against five deaths playing Legion Commander. The 24-year-old Southeast Asian Games gold medalist then upped his game in Game Three, recording a game-high 20 assists and three kills against four deaths to give Cignal its third straight victory.
Cignal was able to wipe out the entire Army Geniuses contingent after a triple kill from Denz “Abat” Anedez’s Ursa, while Van and took care of the rest. This paved the way for the Warriors to snatch Game One for the 1-0 lead.
Abat recorded 12 kills and 11 assists against four deaths. Meanwhile, midlaner James “Jamesy” John’s Mars finished with 10 kills and 15 assists against three deaths.
The reigning The Nationals champion went with an unorthodox lineup in Game Two, with Abat playing a Dazzle carry. Abat was held to just two kills, five deaths, and seven assists.
On the other hand, Van led the way with seven kills, six deaths, and five assists using Nature’s Prophet.
It was a 41-17 breakaway for the Army Geniuses, who finished Game Two in just 35 minutes and 29 seconds. Lym’s support Mirana spearheaded the Indonesian squad with a game-high 26 assists laced with 11 kills and four deaths.
Cignal Ultra went back to their exploits in Game Three, taking a 35-16 victory. Abat’s Monkey King finished with an 18-2-10 line. Meanwhile, Erice “Erice” Guerra’s Void Spirit had 12 kills and 10 assists with just two deaths in the 42:09-minute match.
Cignal Ultra next goes up against LilGun on Thursday, February 4.
