Hard-fighting Liyab falls short against Boom, bows out of PCS Summer


Photo from Liyab Esports

Liyab Esports put up a gallant stand but it was not enough to upset the much-favored Boom Esports which took a slim 2-1 win in their lower bracket match in the League of Legends Pacific Championship Series (PCS) Summer Split 2021 on Friday night, August 13.

After a quick defeat in the opener, Liyab pulled off a huge come-from-behind victory in nearly 36 minutes in Game 2 behind Ren "Kanji" Motomitsu's Sett to forge a do-or-die duel.

Kanji finished with nine kills and nine assists against seven deaths as he served as the frontliner for the Filipino side in crucial team fights.

Game 2 stats from livestream

Kanji MVP

However, Boom Esports mid laner Lee "Ruby" Sol-min on his Syndra proved too much to handle in the decisive Game 3 as the Indonesia-based team punctuated the series in nearly 32 minutes.

Game 3 stats

Liyab not only crashed out of the PCS Summer Split but also saw its dream of making it to the prestigious Worlds 2021 fade away.

Still, it was a remarkable run for coach Gerald "Tgee" Gelacio and his boys in blue as they marked their first-ever playoff appearance in the regional league after sparking a miracle run in the group stage.

Liyab snapped a 17-game losing streak dating back to the Spring Split and won four games in the closing weeks of the Summer Split before edging out Impunity in a tiebreaker for the last playoff spot.

The Globe-backed team bagged $3,000 (more than P150,000) for winding up at the 7th-8th places together with Berjaya Dragons.

The two finalists of the PCS Summer will qualify for the World Championship in China later this year.