IN A tightly-contested three-game match, Woke Up Chief (WUC) fell to the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Teletigers in the championship match of the Red Bull Campus Clutch Global Valorant Tournament, 16-14, 12-14, 12-14, last May 22. WUC’s line up was composed of four veteran Loyola Gaming (LG) members and one member coming from De La Salle University, Ron “VA Grosso” Rieta.
Mirror match
En route to the finals, WUC had to go through a tough set of opponents, including a strong LG Frost team in the semifinals. In the best-of-one semi-finals match, both teams fielded the same agents on the Ascent map: Reyna, Omen, Killjoy, Sova, and Jett.
Undeterred by WUC’s experience in previous AcadArena tournaments, LG Frost claimed the opening pistol round via Juami “LG wameroo” Alcazar’s crucial three kills. However, in the next round, WUC showcased their poise and won despite being in an eco round, 1-1. From there, the game became a back and forth affair as the match went to the 11th round on a deadlock, 5-5. WUC closed the half strong by winning the next two rounds highlighted by Timmy “LG Yabba” Albert’s four kills in the 12th round.
In the second half, LG Frost quickly tied the match through their coordinated plays, 7-7. After both teams won one round each in the next two rounds, WUC unleashed their veteran savvy and closed the match with a 5-0 run, 13-8. The addition of Rieta proved to be vital for WUC as he ended the match with a statline of 20-12-4 kill-death-assist.
After the match, Albert gushed over the younger LG Frost’s improvement and grit all throughout the match. “It’s actually fun matching up against another LG team [LG Frost] because we know the future of the [organization] is in good hands. They may not be there yet, but it’s good to see that they’re putting the work in to improve and compete for when a chunk of our roster, including me, is graduating,” Albert mentioned.
Game of runs
Carrying their momentum into the championship match, WUC opened their best-of-three series against UST with six unanswered rounds on the map Bind which was highlighted by Ignatius “LG blimey” Cu’s four kills in round five, 6-0. However, UST halted WUC’s run in the seventh round after they countered with a 3-0 run of their own, 6-3. With a slim three-point advantage, WUC exhibited calculated aggression to unleash their own 3-0 run to close the half, 9-3.
In the second half, WUC was sluggish off the gates as UST opened the half with eight unanswered rounds to claim a two-point lead, 9-11. Despite losing their early lead, WUC was able to close the match in overtime after three clutch kills from Albert in the 30th round, 16-14.
After giving up the first game, the Teletigers came back with more force, opening the game with an 8-4 advantage over WUC on Split. Facing a four-round deficit entering round 13, WUC mounted a comeback with Matthew “LG Matteo” Brillantes clutching a 1v1 on round 23 to claim match point, 12-11. However, the Teletigers forced overtime the game after Albert failed to convert a 1v1 on round 24, 12-12. UST eventually won the next two rounds to claim game two, 12-14.
With the championship on the line, the third game was a closely-contested affair, with both teams entering halftime in a deadlock, 6-6. The match continued to be a slugfest after the switch as the game remained tied after the 20th round, 10-10. After capturing the next two rounds, WUC came close to winning the championship, but fatigue ultimately got the best of WUC as UST once again forced overtime after a five-man push on the B site of Ascent. In the dying moments of the match, UST sealed their championship in round 26 despite being on a three versus five disadvantage early in the round, 12-14.
LG Frost lineup:
John Michael Amador – “LG Omni”
Luis Carlos – “LG Foxy”
Juami Alcazar – “LG wameroo”
Justin Choy – “LG Wyo”
Joshua Ulanday – “LG Rikes”
Woke Up Chief Lineup:
Ron Rieta – “VA Grosso”
Matthew Brillantes – “LG Matteo”
Timmy Albert – “LG yabba”
Ken Uy – “LG Flex”
Ignatius Cu – “LG blimey”
