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Nigma Galaxy breaks Chinese dominance in Wild Rift with second place finish in WRL Asia

Sports | Esports

Nigma Galaxy breaks Chinese dominance in Wild Rift with second place finish in WRL Asia

By Reynald I. Magallon

Nigma Galaxy settled for silver in the inaugural Wild Rift League Asia but it was still enough to turn heads in the esports title that has been dominated by Chinese teams since its beginning.

*Filipino team Nigma Galaxy (Riot Games photo)

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The all-Filipino crew composed of the same quintet that won the gold medal in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games under the Sibol national team banner became the first non-Chinese team to reach finals. Although NGX got swept by the eventual champions KeepBest Gaming, 4-0, in the best-of-seven finals, the Filipinos put up a gallant fight against the favorites. In fact, the Filipino actually went off to a good start in the series, even opening up KBG’s base at one point, if not for a crucial clash for an Elder Dragon late in Game 1 spelled doom for the team. KBG, took advantage of that skirmish and went on to dominate the Filipinos not just in the rest of the opening game but also in the next four games to cop the first WRL Asia crown. Still, the second place finish that also rewarded them an estimated winning of P3 million was already an impressive feat especially after ending the all-Chinese trend in the last three major tournaments in Wild Rift. The Horizon Cup in 2021 saw DaKun Gaming and ThunderTalk Gaming battle for the top spot while last year’s Icon Series Championship had Nova Gaming and J Team facing each other in the finale. To make NGX’s run even more impressive, the Filipinos were actually the ones who sent Icons champion J Team packing in the tournament, beating them twice, first a 1-0 win in the playoffs’ round robin stage followed by a 3-2 triumph in the semifinals.

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