RSG Slate Philippines successfully snapped a two-game slide and secured their playoff spot during a 2-0 sweep of Nexplay Evos that was highlighted by a surprise switch in the jungler role.
Brian “Panda” Lim opted to go with John Darry “Irrad” Abarquez after going with John Paul “H2wo” Salonga all season long.
The MSC 2022 champion coach clarified that the switch was an effort to address the issues that have been hounding the team since the season started.
“Medyo kulang pa sa aggressiveness sa games nila kasi if you think about Season 9 games nila, we were really strong sa mga team fights tsaka sa aggressiveness. Parang we are the ones always chasing yung enemy and the enemies parang backing down. That is our game style,” Panda explained.
Coach Panda thought going with 1rrad’s aggressive game style in today’s match would introduce a new dimension to the team’s game style just in time for their preparations for the playoffs.
“1rrad is very aggressive. He’s more of a selfish, self-centered jungler who wants to get lots of farms first. Meanwhile, H2wo is more of a selfless jungler who is willing to sacrifice himself for the team. What I need is a balance of those two,” he continued
And the switch proved effective as RSG scored a much-needed confidence-boosting sweep that will help build momentum as they head to the playoffs.
“So we tried Irrad na. And then for the playoffs, we will try both (H2wo and Irrad) at the same time for preparations and see if I can balance their game style so they can learn from each other. And then overall, I have the best optimal lineup for the playoffs,” Panda continued.
