Philippine Team Renovatio to Represent SEA in Premier Global HoTS Tournament
The Southeast Asia (SEA) finals saw the comeback of defending Philippine champions, Renovatio, into the international HoTS scene. Formerly known as Bibingka, their road to the 2015 Global Finals was denied by Singapore’s Relics in the SEA Qualifiers. Sweeping the Philippine Qualifiers and National Finals without losing to any team, they are about to make a strong statement this 2016.
Renovatio stormed the SEA Finals Group Stage by claiming the top seed in their bracket. They beat out the reformed Relics team 2-0. The matches were tough but Renovatio pulled through the competition undefeated until the final stage, where they were up against Singapore’s Pro League champion, Resurgence.
With only one spot for the region at the Globals in Seoul, South Korea, Renovatio and Resurgence were about to brawl for the coveted spot.
Game 1: A Close Call
Draft of Game 1.
Though Renovatio had a twice-to-beat advantage, they could not relax as Resurgence has just beaten fellow Singaporean side Relics in the losers’ bracket final.
Resurgence proved this by giving Renovatio their first loss in the very first match of the best of three set. Despite having a close match, the Singaporeans succeeded in teamfights and objectives, which put them 1-0 ahead of the Filipino team.
Game 2: Making things even
The Philippine representatives attempt a 5-man sweep.
With their backs against the wall, Renovatio went for a power play in the second match. They surprised Resurgence with a Zeratul pick towards the end of the draft, which completes a line up of strong crowd control (CC) heroes. Eager to prove their staying power, Renovatio thrived in the map objectives and clashes, which included a 5-man sweep late in the game. With the force of the immortal, the team devastated the enemy’s core and sealed their first win in the grand final.
Game 3: For the Win!
The draft that won them the series.
The decisive third match saw tensions soar as the draft went on. Renovatio got an early level lead which snowballed into a huge advantage. But Renovatio could not rest as Resurgence continued to defy them throughout the duration of the map. Towards the end of the game, Renovatio sealed their victory by taking out Resurgence’s guns, heading straight for the core. With only a support Tyrande left to defend the core, Renovatio finished the game and solidified their spot on the top of the SEA HoTS food chain.
Victory is at hand!
Despite their hard-fought win, Renovatio definitely have a long tough road ahead of them in the Spring Global Championship as they are about to face the best teams in the world.
With the whole region rallying behind them and their continued dedication, victory may just be within reach.
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