RSG Philippines head coach Brian “Panda” Lim lauded his wards for their stellar performance in the Grand Finals which was anchored on their mental fortitude, teamwork and camaraderie.
After topping the regular season with a 11-3 record, the Raiders went on a mad dash to the Grand Finals, making quick work of Onic Philippines and TNC Pro Team in a pair of neat 3-0 sweeps before capping the near-perfect run with a 4-1 victory over Omega Esports to bag the Season 9 title.
“One thing that if I say this, all of the players would agree, is that my players have very strong mentality,” said coach Panda moments after RSG PH secured its first title since joining the league last season.
“That mentality comes from teamwork. We know naman na when we play, we are not playing for ourselves, we are all playing for each other and everyone supporting us especially our family members,” added the now two-time MPL PH champion coach.
That mental toughness, according to coach Panda, allowed his team to overcome grueling marathon games and pressure-packed situations. The team’s communication and the confidence that each player has to one another are some of the things that made the dream work for RSG
“When we come to the tournament, they made sure na lahat ng decision-making nila lahat ng action nila is really on-point because they’re always talking to each other. You guys can see us, what happens when we actually go to almost 30-minute game, my players’ mentality is really, really strong,” said coach Panda.
“They don’t really get slowed, their movements, mechanics, micro, macro, they still become consistent. When someone is tired and wants to go down, we are all lifting each other up and that’s the best thing about this team,” he furthered.
Each player in RSG uniform had embraced the next-man-up mentality and was evident in their series against Omega especially on the performance of Finals MVP Nathanael “Nathzz” Crisologo.
“If one person dies, he carries his team, and that’s what everyone saw and that’s why he’s the Finals MVP,” coach Panda said of Nathzz.
“But it’s not only Nathzz but all of the players in each role, if one falls, the other steps up one or two. That’s why si Kite sa Season 8 parang everyone said that Kite is carrying the team. This season is like everyone is allowed to make mistakes, everyone is allowed to fall back because they carry each other,” he explained.