It was an emotional day for Philippine esports team Sibol as both StarCraft II players and the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang team advanced to the playoffs, while both Hearthstone athletes were eliminated in the esports competition of the Southeast Asian Games on Thursday at the San Juan Arena.
Caviar Napoleon Acampado and Derick Justin Santos booked their tickets to the playoffs, albeit on the opposite side of the brackets. Acampado secured his Upper Bracket Finals berth after dropping only one game in the Group Stage but retaining an undefeated series streak. Santos, on the other hand, held onto the fourth spot in Group A with a 2-3 record.
Acampado is set to face Vietnam's Tran Hong Phuc in the Upper Bracket Finals. Santos will be facing the Singaporean Thomas Kopankiewicz. The winner of the Upper Bracket Finals is guaranteed a medal. In the Lower Bracket, a quarterfinals spot is at stake.
"I didn't expect to top the group, but I expected to advance," said Acampado.
The Mobile Legends: Bang Bang squad held strong despite being drawn into a group with Indonesia. The Filipinos settled in second with a win against Lao PDR and a draw apiece against Indonesia and Thailand. A tiebreaker will be played between Singapore and Vietnam to decide who the Philippines will be facing in the Lower Bracket semifinals.
It wasn't all good for the Philippine contingent, though. Both Jacinta Dee and Dustin Mangulabnan failed to secure a berth in the Hearthstone playoffs. Dee was able to force a Game 3 against Malaysia's Hendry Yew, but bowed out of contention following her 2-1 loss. Both players ended their journey with a 2-3 record, just a win or two short from advancing.
The playoffs for all three games begin Friday.
The Upper Bracket Finals for StarCraft II will be played on the Main Stage at around 1:15 p.m. followed by the StarCraft II Lower Bracket finals. The Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Lower Bracket semis will be played at around 7 p.m.