MANILA, Philippines — Smart Omega's run at the Call of Duty Mobile (CODM) World Championships came to an abrupt end as the team suffered back to back losses early Sunday (Manila time).
Smart Omega had emerged as one of the strong contenders in the Group Stages, having finished at the top of Group A without dropping a single round.
The Filipino squad continued its winning streak with a 3-1 victory against Brazil's SKADE in the upper bracket quarterfinals, but this was when the tides turned for the former as Brazil's Inco Stalwart avenged their fellow compatriots with a 0-3 sweep to send the Filipinos down to the lower bracket.
The heartbreak continued as North America's Tribe Gaming overpowered Smart Omega, eliminating the Filipinos from the tournament, 0-3.
Though they weren't able to finish at the podium, Coach Jericho Ambulo believed his team had improved significantly.
"Our Worlds experience is definitely one to remember all the hassle of getting our visas and requirements was a rollercoaster but getting to compete and represent the Philippines was one of the most proud things we did and we played our hearts out. Our teamwork has improved significantly coming in here. It felt great getting into the top 6 and getting closer to the championship. It wasn’t the result we wanted but we tried our best," said Ambulo when asked about his thoughts on his team's performance.
Smart Omega ended their world stint at fifth to sixth place, taking home a prize pool of $80,000 (approx. Php4 million).