Team SMG had a rousing start to its DPC SEA Spring Tour campaign as it swept all-Filipino squad Execration, 2-0, on Thursday, March 17.
Ryan "Raging Potato" Jay Qui haunted his compatriots as he led the way for the Malaysia-based esports team with a 7-4-12 display on the Gyrocopter in the opener and a monster 19-4-12 on the Ember Spirit in the series clincher.
Team SMG picked up where it left off following a fourth-place finish in the DPC SEA Winter Tour and a third-place finish in the regional finals, making quick work of Execration in the one-sided 28-16 affair in Game 1.
Execration showed resolve in the first few minutes of Game 2 where it led by as much as 4k net worth. Team SMG however won the crucial team fights, first in a skirmish on the midlane where SMG scored a three-man wipe of Execration at the 21-minute mark.
SMG never looked back from there, leaving Execration in the dust of the 38-29 triumph to notch its first win in the tournament.
SMG joined Polaris Esports and Fnatic with 1-0 records in the standings.
Polaris proved that it belongs to the upper division with a 2-0 sweep of Nigma Galaxy SEA in the season opener on Wednesday. Mc Nicholson “Lelouch” Villanueva continued his fine play with 11-1-11 KDA on the Legion Commander in Game 1 and 8-1-10 showing on the Pangolier in Game 2 to spearhead the sweep.
Fnatic, on the other hand, frustrated OB Esports X Neon, 2-1 to also open Spring Tour on a winning note. The Winter Tour Regional Finals fourth placers mauled OB.Neon’s all-Filipino crew with a 45-13 triumph in Game 1.
The lopsided Game 1 loss, however, failed to dishearten OB.Neon as it bounced back with a 34-21 Game 2 win behind Joshua "avataRmod3" H. Maraño’s 14-3-8 outburst on the Leshrac to force the winner-take-all.
Fnatic’s trio of Djardel “DJ” Mampusti, Armel “Armel” Tabios and Marco Polo Luis “Raven” Fausto then took over in Game 3 as they combined for the 39 of the 49 kills of the team while also putting the clamps down on OB.Neon which could only muster 12 kills on the board.