By REYNALD MAGALLON
Omega Esports made quick work of ECHO, 2-0, and got the much needed full three points to boost its playoff bid in the MPL Philippines Season 8 on Saturday, October 23.
Sitting at the seventh spot of the standing with only 11 points to show, Omega dominated its opponents to score a sweep and give itself a fighting chance to secure a spot in the playoffs.
Christian “Raizen” Sumagui, who was Omega activated for the match in place of starter Kielvj “Kielvj” Hernandez, joined hands with Duane “Kelra” Pillas in the two-game domination. Raizen made an immediate impact for the MSC champions in Game 1, delivering on his Roger with a 5-1-4 KDA to spearhead the attack for OMG in the swift 8-5 victory.
Kelra then took over in Game 2 on his Natan who quickly snowballed following an early triple kill in the top lane at the 10-minute mark of the game. He finished with seven kills, three assists against two deaths in the close out game.
ECHO actually had the lead in Game 1 with a fiery 5-1 start courtesy of the plays from Christian “Rafflesia” Fajura’s Mathilda. A clash for the Lord take however turned the tides to Omega’s favor when Raizen executed a perfect Lord steal while also taking down three heroes on the side of ECHO in the process.
Omega kept its foot on the gas from that point as it ended Game 1 in under 13 minutes of play.
ECHO tried to answer back in Game 2 with Jaymark “Hadess”Lazaro’s Yi Sun Shin getting the better control of the jungle against Raizen’s Hayabusa. But Kelra’s Natan went unchecked and had free time farming to quickly reach his power spike.
Kelra safely dished out damage from afar as Patrick “E2Max” Caidic on his Estes and Renz “Renzio” Cadua on his Phoveus provided the sustain and protection for their core. The two finished with 1-5-10 and 3-2-4 KDAs while also disrupting the position of ECHO players during the crucial fights.
The win came as a breathe of life for the struggling Omega which now improved to a 3-7 standing with 14 points across the board. Omega still sits at sixth place and out of the playoff picture but the team still has a chance of getting a spot, especially that it is just a point behind No. 6 BREN Esports with 15 points.
ECHO, on the other hand, absorbed the second of a back-to-back loss although had kept its spot at the fourth place with a 5-8 record and good for 16 points