The mission is not yet over for Southeast Asia's Call of Duty Mobile (CODM) king NRX Jeremiah 29:11.
After conquering the Garena Qualifiers, NRX will next aim for the coveted title and the lion's share of the $750,000 (over P36 million) prize pool in the first-ever CODM World Championship slated in December in Los Angeles, California, USA.
"Magdo-double time kami sa practice. Hindi pwede 'yung easy lang kami kasi syempre world stage na ang usapan dito," NRX coach Michael "Kyaah" Belaya told the Manila Bulletin in an online interview.
"Tuloy lang kami sa plan namin. Walang titigil hanggang 'di natin nauuwi sa Pilipinas ang world championship!"
Belaya emphasized that pure grit, hard work and unbreakable camaraderie fueled NRX's success in the online qualifying tournament that featured five other teams from Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and Taiwan.
"Lahat ng boys ko MVP para sa'kin. Sobrang sipag nila kaya talagang deserved nila 'yun. 'Di mo sila makikitaan ng solo na galaw. May solid na teamwork talaga," he said.
"Tinuturing namin ang bawat isa bilang pamilya. At 'di lang kami puro laro. May bonding din syempre para ma-refresh ang utak ng bawat player."
Composed of captain JC "Jayzee" Rivera, Kennedy "iDra" Mondoy, Jerrold "Woopiiee" Regay, Benj "CRUSH" Trinidad and John Kenneth "KenDy" Pimentel, NRX showed the heart of a champion when it bounced back from a disastrous opener in the qualifiers.
After absorbing a sweep from Indonesia's Dunia Games Esports apparently due to an erratic Internet connection in the first game, the Filipino crew never lost a single series up until its thrilling 3-2 victory over Thai powerhouse Daivo.FreeSlot in the grand finals.
It was indeed a remarkable run for NRX as it came through with numerous comebacks in different maps, most notably against Daivo in Hardpoint during the group stage and the finals.
"Best moments talaga 'yung mga comebacks namin kasi pinatunayan nila na walang susuko hanggang 'di pa tapos ang laban. Kahit medyo nagka-problema kami noong Day 1 'di kami pinanghinaan ng loob. Everyday nag-improve kami," said Belaya.
Belaya could only thank the fans who supported the team even after that loss on the first day.
"Sa mga supporters namin sobrang thank you sa inyong lahat. Simula Day 1 hanggang finals naniwala kayo sa kakayahan ng team. We love you all. Nababasa namin lahat ng comments ninyo kaya sobrang nag-boost din samin 'yun para galingan at mag-improve araw-araw."
"Sa mga haters namin, mahal din namin kayo syempre."
NRX will have its hands full against the best CODM teams from different regions in the World Championship.
The Filipino squad will go up against 1K Gaming (South Korean Nationals champion), REJECT (Japanese Nationals), Good Genius (369mobi Championship Series in Vietnam), Team Mayhem (Eastern Europe & Rest of Asia Regionals), INFLUENCE RAGE (Latin American Regionals) and the champs of North American Regionals and Western Europe Regionals.