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| JM "JM Pinkman" Sebastian could only hold back his tears as AP Bren missed the MPL Philippines Playoffs for the fourth straight time in a heartbreaker. |
QUEZON CITY—Smart Omega shut down AP Bren's last chance to make its first MPL Philippines playoff appearance in the "Jamespangks Era" with a 2-0 win in a pivotal Friday battle at the Victoria Sports Tower.
Needing a 2-0 sweep to keep its hopes of clinching the last ride to the PhilSports Arena in Pasig for the postseason festivities, AP Bren came close to pulling off a Game 1 comeback when the team pulled off a wipeout during the second Lord fight en route to taking two middle lane turrets down plus the Lord.
However, Smart Omega successfully defended its base and even killed two AP Bren players before taking down the inhibitor turret in the middle lane.
In the third Lord fight, Wilburt "Cull" Salinda connected on a triple kill, while Dean "Raizen" Sumagui successfully stopped Jan "Shizou" Valdez from sneaking a push in the bottom lane and sealed the wipeout by taking down Lance "LanceCy" Cunanan en route to taking the series opener.
Smart Omega then wasted no time in dominating AP Bren in Game 2 to complete the domination.
Already locked into the fifth seed, Smart Omega ended its regular season campaign with a .500 record at 7-7.
Meanwhile, in what was the closest the club got to the postseason since letting its former main five go to Team Falcons Philippines, AP Bren ended its season with a 3-11 record.
AP Bren could have stolen the sixth seed away if it had swept Smart Omega, and Onic Philippines swept TNC later Friday.
Instead, AP Bren will miss the postseason for the fourth straight season and will enter a period of uncertainty, especially with speculation about what's next for James "Jamespangks" Mendoza.
