NAOS Esports comes out on top of VALORANT Challengers Philippines – Split 2

NAOS Esports came out on top of the VALORANT Challengers Philippines (VCL PH) – Split 2 after defeating Oasis Gaming 3-2 in the grand finals.

@NaosEsports are your VALORANT Challengers PH – Split 2 Champions! Congratulations and welcome to VCT Ascension Pacific!#VCT #VCTPH #VALORANTChallengersPH #VALORANTChampionsTour #BeRelentless pic.twitter.com/QAeICfVWKi

— VALORANT Esports Philippines (@VALEsportsPH) June 4, 2023

After previously winning the first split, NAOS is once again crowned as the king of VCL PH after beating their rivals Oasis Gaming yet again. Before reaching the grand finals, NAOS went undefeated with a 7-0 record on the group stage thus earning the top seed that immediately placed them in the upper bracket semifinals. After defeating Action PH in the upper bracket semis, NAOS was then sent to the lower bracket by Oasis Gaming after the team lost 2-1 in the upper bracket final. From the lower bracket, they faced ZOL Esports and bested them 3-1 to book a rematch with Oasis in the grand final.

“Actually, wake up call samin yung talo namin sa upper bracket final because kinailangan namin yung experience sa stage being a new team on LAN (Actually, it was a wakeup call for us when we lost in the upper bracket final because we needed the experience on the stage being a new team on LAN),” NAOS Esports analyst Lowell “Ell” Marcelo shared during the post-grand final interview. “We’ve proven that we can be relentless and this is what relentless is.”

Their grand final matchup went all the way to the decider map as both teams showed grit and determination to win the series, ultimately capping off with NAOS lifting the trophy.

It was Oasis Gaming that actually took the first game on Haven as it ended 13-6. Oasis racked up a sizeable lead in the first half, finishing their attacking half with an 8-4 lead and eventually only losing two rounds in the second half. George Audrey “Georggyyy” Lachica led Oasis Gaming with his twenty-two kills with Jett while Jose Eduardo “Draxii” Jamir supported the team with his nineteen assists.

After losing Game 1, NAOS returned the favor on Fracture 14-9. Initially, Oasis was ahead in the first half 7-5 but NAOS managed to stave off their deficit by gunning for two four-round win streaks, with the first streak starting in Round 14 and then bouncing back from the loss in Round 18 with the second streak to win the game. For this game, both John Timothy “JA” Arone and Jerome “Mojer” Literal posted twenty kills each to lead NAOS toward victory.

NAOS then secured a 2-1 lead in the series after winning Game 3 on Pearl 13-7. The team led the first half 7-5 as they secured seven out of the ten post-plant scenarios as the attackers. They then continued their winning momentum in the second half, only giving up two rounds to Oasis. Riley “Witz” Go led the team in both kills and assists in this game with his 19/16/13 KDA on Skye.

Unfortunately, NAOS failed to close the series out in Game 4 after Oasis Gaming took Bind 13-8. Oasis ran a no-sentinel lineup with dual controllers and initiators, putting Georggyyy on KAY/O and Xavier “xavi8k” Juan on Skye while Bhreyanne Christ “Wild0reoo” Reyes was on Viper and Draxii was on Brimstone. Meanwhile, Oasis Gaming’s duelist role was filled by Mark Anthony “marky” Tuling on Raze, leading the team with his twenty kills and three assists on a 282 ACS.

With the series tied, it was NAOS who prevailed on the fifth and final map Lotus. Oasis started the game with four rounds won before NAOS fought back with a 5-round win streak, eventually ending the half tied at 6-6. NAOS then put on their defensive capabilities by winning the first two rounds in the second half. Furthermore, the team also put on a spike defuse masterclass with Mojer, Federico “PapiChulo” Evangelista, and Carl Alexander “senyorcarl” Carandang all securing critical defuses in the late rounds of the game. In the end, NAOS took the win on Lotus in a close 13-10 scoreline.

As the champions of VCL PH Split 2, NAOS Esports will be representing the country in the upcoming VALORANT Champions Tour 2023 Pacific: Ascension League in Bangkok, Thailand.

“Sobrang emotional ko ngayon kasi grabe yung dugo’t pawis na binibigay namin dito para makuha talaga tong [VCL PH Split 2] championship (I’m emotional right now because we sacrificed so much blood and sweat to capture the VCL PH Split 2 championship),” Witz expressed his glee on winning the VCL PH Split 2 trophy. “Syempre, di parin tayo titigil dito. Tuloy tuloy lang. Next stop franchise (spot) naman (Of course, we aren’t going to stop here. We’re going to just keep moving forward. Next stop is the franchise spot).”

Meanwhile, NAOS Esports coach Derren “aimix” dela Cruz shared how he’s foreseen their moment of victory since the formation of the current NAOS squad as the team apparently gave it their all during scrimmages and practices.

“Since unang araw na pumasok sila sa NAOS, nakikita ko na talaga yung future. Ever since first day ng mga scrims namin, talagang binibigay nila lahat. Hanggang dulo walang tigil (Ever since the first date these guys joined NAOS, I can already see the future. Ever since day one of our scrims, they gave it their all. Non-stop until the end).”

He then shared how winning VCL PH Split 2 and qualifying for the Ascension was just the first step of their masterplan.

“Step 1 palang namin ito. Mataas standards namin. Ayaw namin hanggang dito lang (This is just the first step. We have high standards. We don’t want it to end just here),” he shared. “Gusto namin next APAC tapos [step] three worlds (We want the next step to be APAC and step three to be worlds.”

He then shared how they’re looking forward to possibly facing international VALORANT household organizations like FNATIC and LOUD.

“Ganun ka dedicated yung each individual dito [sa NAOS]. Sobrang credits sa dugo at pawis nila (That’s how dedicated every individual here at NAOS. So much credit to their blood and sweat efforts).”

Don't miss out on the latest news and information.

For feedback, complaints, or inquiries, contact us.