After exiting the group stage in their inaugural run, the DLSU Mobile Legends Team was crowned champions of the UAAP Season 87 Mobile Legends: Bang Bang! Tournament, slaying the NU Bulldogs, 2-1, in the Finals yesterday, May 16, at Quantum Skyview, Gateway 2.
Aaron Lim was hailed as the Finals MVP after averaging five kills and four assists in the championship matchup.
Adjustment period
In the season opener, the Green-and-White kicked off their campaign with a clash against the NU Bulldogs. Ryu Godoy made crucial initiation plays with Badang. Together with Gabriel Sanchez’s lethal performance with the Granger, the Lasallians took the tightly contested first game of the best-of-three matchup. However, the Sampaloc-based squad adjusted their strategy and dominated the second game, capped off by a Maniac from Kirk Herrero’s Granger to even the match at 1-all. The Bulldogs carried this momentum into Game Three, where they secured the reverse sweep, 2-1, outstrategizing the Taft-based side in the drafting phase.
In the aftermath of a hard-fought series, players Kent Lopez and Joshua Tating reflected on their journey. Lopez admitted that the series brought out a mix of emotions, especially from the sidelines. “Actually, parang mixed emotion siya… noong Game One, watching from the backline sobrang saya pa rin. Noong Game Two naman, of course, na dismaya,” he shared.
(Honestly, it was kind of a mix of emotions… in Game 1, watching from the backline, I was really happy. But in Game 2, of course, I was disappointed.)
Despite the early setback, Lopez remained confident in his team’s ability to regroup and respond: “Siguro minalas lang talaga that game.”
(Maybe we were just unlucky in that game.)
As they prepare for their next match, Lopez emphasized the importance of going back to the fundamentals: “Balik kami sa basics, i-review namin ‘yung game ngayon, hanapin ‘yung mali, [and] babawi sa UE.” With gratitude in his voice, he added, “Manalo, matalo, Animo La Salle.”
(We’ll go back to basics, review today’s game, find what went wrong, and bounce back against UE… Win or lose, Animo La Salle.)
Meanwhile, Tating spoke about the weight and pride of representing DLSU in the tournament. “It feels great to be able to represent the school and obviously the pride of the school lies on me,” he said, acknowledging the pressure while affirming his readiness to rise to the occasion.
Reflecting on the challenges of the series, he pointed to strategic concerns: “I think the biggest challenge so far…it’s mostly the drafts and how we’re setting up the early game.” Despite this, Tating remained focused on the bigger goal, confident in their preparation for the next opponent. “I don’t think we need to make any adjustments… we just need to play how we played,” he said.
As the team sets its sights on the battles ahead, Tating thanked the community: “Sa lahat ng sumusuporta sa amin at mga fellow students, thank you sa support. Gagalingan pa namin sa susunod.”
(To everyone supporting us and our fellow students, thank you for the support. We’ll do even better in the upcoming matches.)
Seeking to bounce back from their disheartening loss, the Green-and-White returned to the Land of Dawn with newfound strategies and adjustments against UP Esports. DLSU vanquished the Diliman-based side in convincing fashion, securing a 2-0 sweep. Lim’s performance in Game One with the Faramis stood out, while Journey Ong’s crucial flank with Baxia helped seal Game Two and the series.
La Salle then met the defending champions UE Zenith in a high-stakes skirmish for a Final Four berth. Game One witnessed both sides go back-and-forth, trading crucial pick-offs in hopes of ending the game. DLSU came out on top after a massive set from Godoy’s Gatotkacha in the top lane, which caught two heroes from UE, followed by Harith Sanchez’s flawless performance with eight kills, eight assists, and no deaths. With momentum on their side, La Salle prevented the Recto-based squad from recording any kills in the brief game. With this victory, the Green-and-White punched their slot in the semifinals against the top seed of Group A, UST Teletigers.
Road to the crown
The DLSU Mobile Legends Team opened the Final Four with their guns blazing as they clashed with the UST Teletigers in the Land of Dawn. The first game of the series started out slow, having only one kill in the first five minutes of the match. Within 13 minutes of the game, DLSU choked the resources out for UST, slaying two Lords and destroying seven turrets. With the Lord knocking on the Teletiger’s gates, Sanchez and Tating destroyed the remaining towers and exterminated UST’s backline, ultimately grabbing Game One. Tating was named MVP, with a KDA of four/one/three.
Game Two started out in a similar fashion with DLSU playing for the Turtle’s side of the map. The team aimed to gain small leads through fast wave pushing and roaming the map together. However, the Green-and-White were not in their top form as they lost the first teamfight for the second Turtle, losing two members for one. By the 12th minute mark, the kills were tied at eight each, but DLSU had the clear 1.5k gold lead. The goal for the Green Legends was clear: let Sanchez scale with Moskov. At the 17th minute mark, Tating’s Hayabusa started to tear through UST, ending the game with another MVP and a KDA of five/two/four.
In the championship series, DLSU showed clear signs of growth as they took the draft to different levels. They paid respect to Johann Estacio by banning his Fanny, which haunted the Green-and-White in the season opener. After losing the first game of the finals, La Salle then unleashed a series of new picks in the Finals, with Lim pulling out Kimmy and Sanchez finally playing the Claude that he is revered for. Starting out Game Two slowly, the goal of La Salle was to let Sanchez get his items for the late game fight. At the 10th minute mark, Sanchez unleashed a Blazing Duet to kill NU’s 2k gold lead. Knocking at their Nexus, Godoy used Gatotkaca’s Avatar of the Guardian in the Bulldog’s base, setting up a double kill for Lim’s Kimmy and ending the game.
Finally respecting the advantage that Tating had been building in the early game for the Green Legends, the Bulldogs targeted his heroes in the ban phase, targeting four of Tating’s comfort picks. The Green-and-White’s Jungler settled for Suyou, netting an early double kill in the first three minutes and earning full control of the map. Lim, with his Kimmy, destroyed all hopes of a comeback, scoring four consecutive kills in the 15th minute mark and clinching the championship for the team. After being reverse swept by NU in the opening game of the tournament, the Green Legends finally completed their redemption arc with a resounding win on the grandest stage.
