ENTERING THE Land of Dawn for day two of action, the Ateneo Blue Eagles’ search for their first victory continues after succumbing to the National University (NU) Bulldogs with a series score of 0-2. Today’s showdown took place at the Arete’s Hyundai Hall in Quezon City.
With this loss, the Blue and White find themselves with a 0-0-2 win-draw-loss record in Group A of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Esports tournament.
Game 1
In their opening bout that lasted a whopping 31 minutes, the Lord proved to be a crucial factor on multiple occasions. Its presence, as well as the clashes within its vicinity, determined which side would take control.
Nine minutes in marked the first of many points in the matchup wherein the Lord was taken. In this scuffle, NU proceeded to take control with no challenge from Ateneo. The former would proceed to place the Lord at the top lane for their first full-on push of the game. Ateneo, backed into a corner, was forced to be on the defense. Although the Katipunan-based squad managed to hold their ground, they were left with only one middle turret left to protect their base after the carnage.
Eager to begin their second push, the Bulldogs immediately attempted to take down Lord as the game neared the 13th minute. However, the Blue Eagles, led by Lyandrei Duero as Alpha, swooped in at the right time, stealing the much-needed pawn. With an opportunity to push, Ateneo joined the Lord in the midlane. However, with no turrets left to protect their inhibitor turret, the Lord was left to fend for itself in a short lived push as Ateneo backed out to defend their own turf.
At the 18-minute mark, the Bulldogs once again took Lord, this time uncontested, as the Blue Eagles were once again defending their vulnerable base turret. Following another push from NU in the midlane, Ateneo managed to fend off the opposition, eradicating the Lord in the process.
The Bulldogs were eager to get back on offense as soon as the Lord was once again up for grabs. However, Ateneo’s teamwork fended off NU to keep the Lord for themselves. But with no protection for their inhibitor turret, there was once again no aid offered to the Lord, ending a lackluster push from the Katipunan side.
With the match now over half an hour long, the Bulldogs finally broke through after one last battle for the Lord turned into a team clash that swung in favor of the Sampaloc-based team.
With all except team captain Eugene Dela Cruz, who played support hero Angela, left to defend the Blue Eagles’ inhibitor turret, it was easy pickings for NU, who sealed the deal after 31 minutes of play, despite a final kill score of 18-19 in favor of Ateneo.
NU’s Harold James Blas ended up as the Bulldogs’ spark plug, taking home Most Valuable Player (MVP) honors in the first game. Using Lylia, his final kill-death-assist (KDA) score totaled to 5-3-10.
Game 2
Looking to avoid another long bout, the Bulldogs came out with guns blazing. Immense pressure was placed on the top lane by NU, forcing the Blue Eagles to group up to protect its turrets–a move which proved to be futile. The Bulldogs would tear down Ateneo’s first turret by the six-minute mark.
On the sidelines, NU’s John Ver Gerez, playing as Hayabusa, excelled in his role as the team’s jungler. While the Bulldogs were clashing at the top, Gerez slayed the turtle and later repeated this feat, further widening the gold gap.
Once the Lord spawned in at the nine-minute mark, the Bulldogs were quick to take possession despite a heroic defense from Ateneo. The match ultimately drew to a close after the Lord wreaked havoc in the top lane, executing a full-on push that ended the battle in just under 12 minutes, with a final kill score of 4-16 in favor of NU.
After today’s fixtures, Ateneo remains at the bottom of the standings with a winless record. The Blue Eagles will have one last opportunity to get on the board when they take on De La Salle University’s Viridis Arcus Esports on August 20, at the same venue.
Ateneo Blue Eagles lineup:
Sean Jacob See – Cici, Edith
Lyandrei Go Duero – Alpha, Julian
Eugene Dela Cruz (Team Captain) – Angela, Aurora
Benjamin Louis L. Ang – Zhask on both rounds
Sebastian Archer S. Antolin – Harith, Ruby
Group A Standings (W-D-L):
- FEU Tamaraws Esports (1-0-0)
- NU Bulldogs (1-1-0)
- DLSU Viridis Arcus Esports (0-1-0)
- Ateneo Blue Eagles (0-0-2)
Group B Standings (W-D-L):
- UST Teletigers Esports Club (2-0-0)
- AdU Falcons (1-0-1)
- UE Zenith Warriors (0-0-1)
- UP Fighting Maroons (0-0-1)
