RSG PH rises, Smart Omega falls in MSC Playoffs opener

KUALA LUMPUR — RSG PH advanced to the upper bracket seminals after defeating Myanmar's Falcon Esports while defending champions Smart Omega fell to the lower bracket after yielding Malaysia's TODAK in the first day of the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Southeast Asia Cup (MSC) 2022 Playoffs here.

RSG PH survived dark horse Falcon Esports, 2-1, which swept ONIC Indonesia in the group stages.

RSG had a dominant draft in Game One but still started slow, with Falcon drawing first blood. But the former targeted objectives to take the lead and finish the 15:42-long game at 13-8.

RSG PH continued its dominance in Game Two but the overextension at Falcon Esports' base proved detrimental as the Myanmar squad turned the tide in the nearly half an hour match (29:24) and gave RSG PH its first game loss of the tournament.

Avoiding any more mistakes, RSG PH secured the Upper Bracket advantage with their tactical plays in the do-or-die Game Three, sending Falcon Esports to the lower brackets with a 13-7 win.

Game One Most Valuable Player Eman "EMANN" Sangco credited his teammates for cheering him up after their Game Two mishap.

"Chini-cheer-up po ako ng kakampi ko at lumakas loob ko ulet, " said Sangco.

For his part, coach Karl “Giee” Barrientos, said that he told his players to take each loss as a learning experience, and that the best thing to do is to move on and focus on the final game.

"I told them: Reset and don't mind the loss. We reset and come back stronger in game three," said Barrientos.

Meanwhile, the other Philippine bet, MSC defending champions Smart Omega, fell to host country TODAK, 1-2.

The Malaysian team backed the Filipino squad into a corner after a 14-19 victory in Game One.

One game away from falling to the lower brackets, Smart Omega was behind most of the game but managed a 17-13 comeback win after TODAK overextended their stay at the Filipino base. This gave the Southeast Asian champs the opportunity to wipe out the Malaysians by the 22nd minute and force a decider.

TODAK quickly learned from its mistakes and dominated Game Three with a 8-20 win to relegate the defending champions to the lower brackets.

RSG PH's next opponent will be Malaysia's Orange Esports in the Upper Bracket semis, while Smart Omega will face EVOS SG in the first round of the lower brackets.

Both matches are scheduled on Thursday, June 16.