LOYOLA GAMING (LG) Terra took home the silver after being ousted by long-time rivals De La Salle University Viridus Arcus (DLSU VA), 1-3, in the AcadArena (AA) Alliance Games Split 2 finals last December 11. This marks the fourth finals meeting between both schools.
Since both squads have been consistently in the championship, both teams were familiar with each others’ play styles. It’s no surprise then that the first match in Icebox opened with a deadlock in the half, 6-6. The back-and-forth action continued, which saw a tie after the 20th round, 10-10. LG Terra was able to eventually break the tie after winning three straight rounds to secure game one of the series, 13-10. Of note throughout the showdown was Matthew “Matteo” Brillantes, who tallied back-to-back triple kills in rounds 22 and 23. Brillantes was also the top scorer of the match with a 29/16/5 KDA output and 341 Average Combat Score.
After surrendering the first game, DLSU opened the second match on a rampage as they established an early 1-8 lead in Haven. LG tried to keep themselves afloat as they closed the half with three unanswered rounds to make the game more manageable at 4-8. The Blue and White continued their momentum into the second half as they scored two straight rounds, establishing a tie with 10 apiece. Ateneo almost clinched Game 2 after executing a flawless round in round 25, 13-12. However, the championship experience of DLSU was highlighted as they won three straight rounds to tie the series at 1-1 with a Game 2 score of 13-15.
After narrowly missing out on Game 2, Ateneo started slow on the map Bind and surrendered five rounds at the onset of Game 3, 0-5. LG Terra managed to trim the deficit through coordinated defense, 4-8. However, momentum was still on DLSU’s side as VA opened the second half with two round wins, 4-10. Ateneo tried to claw their way back to the game but DLSU easily had the upper hand given that they were defending on a defensive-sided map—Bind. LG couldn’t penetrate VA’s solid defensive sets during their attacks, ultimately conceding the game, 9-13.
With their backs against the wall, Ateneo tried to force a deciding Game 5 but DLSU immediately crushed their hopes with a 4-0 opener in Ascent. LG Terra was unable to climb from this early deficit and gave up the fourth and final game, 6-13.
“[LG Tera] performed well this split but I think we lacked confidence and communication during the finals,” Justin “Dippy” Ngkaion said about their performance. “We were nervous going into the finals again. [We were] hoping we would finally beat DLSU but we had careless mistakes here and there which is why it didn’t go in our favor, but I am proud of what we have accomplished [in] this split,” he shared.
Similar to the Split 1 finals last August, Ateneo claimed the first game of both series. The next games proved to be a bloodbath as both teams fought tooth and nail to one-up each other but in the end, DLSU claimed the championship in both series. With Michael Ken “Flex” Uy and Ngkaion graduating, the team will try to regroup and look for new members to field in upcoming tournaments.
“Some players will be graduating and some might step down too. With these changes, the team will have to start all over again with new members and adjust to each other’s gameplay and practice together for the upcoming tournaments,” Ngkaion added.
LG Terra Roster:
Michael Ken “Flex” Uy
Matthew “Matteo” Brillantes
Anton “Moses” Rosales
Justin “Dippy” Ngkaion
Stuart “Stu” De Guia
John Michael “Omni” Amador
Jake “Jacques” Uy
