It was a nice vacation, but now Aurora are back to finish the regular season in style.
Even after a two-week pause, Aurora’s Renejay and squad returned to the MPL PH S15 as if everything was just business as usual. The team has all but locked their spot at the top of the standings after going 2-0 last weekend.
What makes this remarkable is that the team still looked sharp despite the pause in the season. Aurora Gaming’s performance didn’t skip a beat despite spending most of their downtime with, as star Roamer Renejay Barcase puts it, “Pahinga and chill.”
“Ako, hindi ako talaga tumingin sa MLBB,” said Aurora’s Renejay. “Siguro isang lingo or mga four days na setaside ko yung Renejay bilang pro player. After nun, bumalik [yung team] sa pag-rank game. Medyo nanibago kami sa pagbalik sa practice pero naka-recover din kami kaagad.”
And he was really serious about setting aside the pro player life during the break. “Naramdaman ko talaga na long break siya,” said Aurora’s Renejay with a smile. “Talagang tulog lang at no activities. Literal na break.”
Of course, it’s good to catch your breath and relax every once and a while. However, some would say that it’s still important to get some personal practice in, especially with only two weeks left in the season. Renejay acknowledges that, but for him, the real way to stay in form is to play against the best.
“Personally, para sa akin, kahit mag-scrim ako o maglaro ako ng mga rank games, parang hindi pa rin sapat. Kailangan talaga ng mismong tournament,” said Aurora’s Renejay.
That’s why he feels that it was a disadvantage for the team when they failed to qualify for the Snapdragon Mobile Masters, which was taking place during the two week break. “Para tuloy-tuloy yung mga tournaments namin. Ngayon medyo nag reset kami. Nandun pa rin yung mindset pero medyo naninibago pa.”
Either way, that mindset is really helping Aurora stay as the best team in the MPL this season. Especially Renejay, who earned the Best Roamer of the Week title despite his vacation. Aurora has not lost any momentum at all, and it looks like they’ll be taking that all the way to the playoffs.
Banner photo from MOONTON Games.