 |
| Photo from Smart Omega |
by Drew Malihan
MANILA - Smart Omega NEOS strikes in their MLBB Developmental League - Philippines (MDL-PH) Season 2 debut against Blacklist Academy Lunatix on Thursday, two games to none.
Omega NEOS fielded a new-look squad from their Season 1 lineup with only Christian "West" Mangabay remaining in the lineup, while Blacklist LTX made one change from their debut game against RSG Mistah, replacing Eduard "Larvs" Baylen with a returning Kent Xavier "Kevier" Lopez.
Blacklist revealed a jungle Freya in the first game for Avrian "Vri X" Villorente and looked for more durability with an EXP Fredrinn and Khufra on roam, while Omega NEOS went for all-out crowd control with Franco, Paquito, and a jungle Bane.
Omega's lineup capitalized on their early game potential and punished Blacklist's rather unorthodox lineup with a 9-6 win in Game 1 in under 17 minutes, with Ryan "RayL" Asaoka's Faramis getting the MVP nod with a 1/1/5 KDA.
Blacklist LTX went to a completely different route in Game 2 with a jungle Sun for Vri X to go with a roam Floryn and a Lesley for Rhonald "Bullet" Bacolod, while RayL keeps his Faramis now backed with a Baxia, Edith, and a roam Kaja for Mark Glenn "Super Markkk" Florencio, all armed with the Flicker spell.
Omega NEOS made quicker work in Game 2, finishing the game in under 10 minutes and allowing just one death with RayL falling down against Vri X
The Barangay's MDL team did not lose a single turret while getting all neutral major objectives, including three turtles and a sanctuary lord.
Omega NEOS will check for a second win as they will take on MHRLK Esports on September 5, while Blacklist LTX will look for their first win against another winless team in Minana Archives.
Follow him on X: @drew_corner
.jpg)
