THE UST Teletigers Esports Club capped its UAAP Season 87 Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) tournament campaign with bronze after falling short against the DLSU Green Aces in the semifinals on Friday, May 16, at Gateway 2 Quantum Skyview in Quezon City.
UST’s Season 87 placement was a notch below its silver finish in the inaugural MLBB tournament held in August 2024. The Teletigers swept the elimination round before yielding to DLSU in the Final Four.
UST head coach Miggy Arayata told the Varsitarian that the loss was a defining moment for the Teletigers.
“If you’re an athlete, it’s not really how you handle your wins, but how you handle your losses,” Arayata said. “Because you could stay undefeated, pero how you deal with a loss and bounce back, that’s what really defines the character of an athlete.”
In the drafting phase across two games, DLSU targeted Ortega’s top global Fanny and Den Mar Balingit’s pesky Zhuxin to foil UST’s early game damage and crowd control.
DLSU’s early aggression in the first game, led by Aaron Lim’s Pharsa, pushed UST 5,900 gold behind midway through the match as the Green Aces secured all the turtles and the first Lord, 8-1.
By the 11th minute, DLSU had a 7,400 gold lead as it took down the Teletigers’ inhibitor turret. The Green Aces kept UST at bay and sustained their dominance to win the game, 12-3.
In the second frame, the Teletigers mounted an early lead by securing the first turtle, but DLSU answered by destroying the side lane towers by the eighth minute, 6-4.
Lim’s Pharsa demonstrated exceptional map control, creating crucial space for DLSU’s Moskov and Hayabusa to pressure the Teletigers’ formation and slay the second Lord by the 13th minute, gaining a 10-9 kill lead and a 3,000 gold advantage.
UST tried to defend the base turret by killing DLSU’s Baxia and Cici, but DLSU sustained its damage output and took down three UST heroes — Jawhead, Suyou, and Gloo — to secure a finals spot, 13-13.
UST team captain Arjohn Roxas commended the rookie-laden team’s performance this season.
“Ang sinabi ko lang sa kanila na first year pa lang nila ‘to and marami pa tayong kakaining bigas kasi first year pa lang, pero grabe na ‘yong nagawa namin sa group stage,” he told the Varsitarian.
UST’s rookies are jungler JC Ortega, midlaner Den Mar Balingit, and exp laner Matt Canajero.
“Kinapos na lang kami sa playoffs. Kung kaunting experience pa, makakabawi kami next season,” Roxas said.
