To say that MPL Season 15 Finals MVP Alston "Sanji" Pabico had a tough time in the grand final against ONIC PH would be an understatement.
Sanji, along with teammates KarlTzy, Oheb, Sanford, and Jaypee, clinched the championship in a nail-biting best-of-seven series, where Team Liquid PH narrowly edged out ONIC PH, 4-3.
Following the grueling esports showdown between the two powerhouse teams, Sanji singled out two ONIC PH players who gave him the hardest time on the battlefield.
“To me, there are two of them — K1ngkong and Super Frince. They made it really difficult for us,” Sanji told DAILY TRIBUNE when asked who the toughest opponents were.
Just like with Team Liquid PH and Sanji, ONIC PH also relied heavily on Super Frince's crucial plays as the squad's mid laner. K1ngkong, meanwhile, is always a threat as a jungler as seen in the series.
Just as Sanji played a central role for Team Liquid PH, Super Frince proved vital for ONIC PH with clutch performances as the team’s mid laner. Meanwhile, K1ngkong remained a persistent threat in the jungle throughout the series.
For Sanji, facing the two was not just about skill, but the unpredictability of their strategies.
"When it comes to drafting, they have so many heroes, so it was hard to draft against them. It was hard to ban and hard to predict their picks so it was for us to go against the two of them," he said.