Despite only making his debut this MPL Philippines Season 11, John "Irrad" Abarquez was quick to prove why he belongs to the big league in Week 8.
John "1rrad" Tuazon steps up for John Paul "H2wo" Salonga in RSG Philippines Season 8 campaign (MPL Photo)
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The young pro dazzled in his return to the pros with an electrifying performance at the jungle to knock Nexplay EVOS out of playoff contention, 2-0, and effectively help RSG Slate Philippines solidify their position at the fourth spot in the regular season standings.
Irrad got to spark RSG’s disciplined attack once more in front of the M4 World Champions ECHO. And while outlasted eventually, Irrad’s mechanical prowess was in full display when he used his Joy to take the equalizer in game two and deny the mighty Purple Orcas the sweep.
The 19-year old listed outstanding numbers in his first dance with the Raiders this season which included averages of 4.60 kills, 6.40 assists and 725 gold per minute versus 3.67 deaths.
For his impressive performance, Irrad was hailed the Razer-Gold Player of the Week for Week 8 and is set to receive a Razer Blackshark V2 courtesy of Razer Gold.
On his feeling of reuniting with his teammates and having the chance to play again in the pros, the RSG jungler remained stoic albeit his mesmerizing performance.
“Normal lang din po kasi last season alam mong reserve player lang ako tapos binigyan ako ng chance mag-laro. Yung na-feel ko ngayon, parang same lang as dati ganun. Alam ko lang yung ambiance ngayon ng stage kaya medyo nakakalaro po ako nang maayos.”
He added that his stint in the MDL pushed him to perform. “Mas na-motivate ako na galingan pa lalo para makaakyat ako.”
The 19-year old pro edged ECHO members Tristan “Yawi” Cabrera and Alston “Sanji” Pabico, as well as ONIC Philippines’ EXP Laner Nowee “Ryota” Macasa for the weekly citation awarded by the print and online media covering the MPL Philippines, as well as the league’s broadcasters and operations team.