THE ATENEO Blue Eagles’ University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 87 run closed on a sour note after enduring another 0-2 sweep, this time at the hands of the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Teletigers Esports Club. Ateneo’s final match in the UAAP Mobile Legends: Bang Bang tournament took place this morning at the Quantum Skyview Deck of the Gateway Mall 2 in Quezon City.
Despite the elimination, Gold Laner Joshua Rodas showed a respectable performance throughout the final two games, notching a 16-6-4 KDA across the board.
Game 1
Kicking off Game One’s draft phase, UST finally followed the tournament trend by locking in Kimmy as their first pick. Ateneo answered UST’s proactive selection with comfort picks of their own but also gave the Teletigers the chance to grab theirs, evident in Juliann Ortega picking Fanny. The Gold and Black also noticeably went with a lineup akin to meta picks during earlier seasons of the mobile title.
With both squads drafting aggressive compositions, an early invade by Ateneo was anticipated. UST’s Ortega quickly shut down their attempt and drew an impeccable first blood on Angelo Olvida. The Teletigers continued their killing streak on the Blue Eagles, with Ortega picking up another kill on his Fanny. Despite their opponents’ offensive onslaught, the Blue and White managed to respond well, taking two Turtles amid UST’s consistent efforts to force them out of their jungle.
Although Ateneo kept the game close with well-timed responses, the Teletigers eventually blew it wide open—courtesy of pinpoint Traction Pulses by Benjamin Lukban (Kimmy). The Blue and White consistently tried to etch a comeback with constant re-engages, but were quickly nullified by UST’s timely Purifies.
Holding a 5,000-gold lead at the 8-minute mark, the Teletigers played the game in the driver’s seat, surprising the Blue Eagles with their overwhelming Wombo Combo damage. UST’s rampage continued until Kyle Calub stole the Lord at 12:30, followed by major shutdowns from Rodas to cut the España-based team’s gold advantage to just 3,000. However, Ortega once again found crucial picks on Zosi Nera and Rodas, opening up the mid-inhibitor turret, which UST eventually capitalized on a 16:38-minute victory.
Game 2
In Game Two’s draft phase, Ateneo caught UST off guard with their overall creative team composition orchestrated by Coach JC Castillo. The surprise pick—Masha—stood out against the Teletigers’ lineup, who again opted for comfort picks across the board.
At the 1:30 mark, Ateneo were the recipients of UST’s early aggression, as the Teletigers executed an early four-man rotation at the bottom lane for a quick 1,000-gold lead. The Blue Eagles could only watch as the Teletigers secured objective after objective, with the early-game team composition working wonders for UST.
Nonetheless, in a heroic final game effort, Aaron Sze used Masha’s Thunderclaps to repeatedly startle the Gold and Black, eventually equalizing the gold lead at the 8-minute mark with an impressive 4/0/2 KDA.
UST attempted to push the lead by picking off Ateneo’s backline, but were repeatedly denied by Olvida’s Blessing of Moon Goddess. Led by Rodas at the helm, Ateneo steadily took objectives and even used the Lord to take down the Teletigers’ inhibitor turrets.
However, a four-kill swing at the UST base foiled Ateneo’s bid for their first-ever win. Motivated by this last stand, the Teletigers claimed four more kills in the Midlane before making one final push at Ateneo’s base, sealing the game with a near-heart-stopping victory.
After this tournament elimination, the Ateneo MLBB squad will hope to use this experience to mount a stronger UAAP campaign next season.
Hero lineup:
Aaron Sze (EXP Laner) – Edith, Masha
Kyle Calub (Jungler, Team Captain) – Suyou, Baxia
Zisu Nera (Mid Laner) – Yve, Kimmy
Joshua Rodas (Gold Laner) – Irithel, Granger
Angelo Olvida (Roamer) – Kalea, Estes
Group B Standings (Points Overall):
- UST Teletigers Esports Club: 3-0 (9)
- AdU Soaring Falcons: 1-1 (3)
- FEU Tamaraws: 1-1 (3)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles: 0-3 (0)
