This old guard still has a lot of tricks hidden up his sleeve.
Omega Esports and their star player Joshua “Ch4knu” Mangilog are really turning the screws on the other teams in the second half of MPL PH S14. The team has done exceptionally well so far, with their most recent performance landing them third in the standings.
A big part of that success comes from veteran and team captain Ch4knu himself. The man has been playing since 2019, back when the team was still part of the legendary Execration lineup that won the Philippines its second MSC trophy. And even after five years of playing professionally he still has more to show.
Just recently, Ch4knu played his 11th unique hero in Omega’s match against Aurora Gaming, making him the Roamer with the most unique heroes in MPL PH S14. This is in stark contrast to his previous seasons where he was actually criticized for having a limited hero pool.
“Dati pa naman napra-practice ko yung mga ibang hero,” said Ch4knu. “Hindi ko lang pini-pick kasi ang focus namin ay dun saan kami nanalo. Ngayon, panalo o talo basta maganda yung ipinakita namin, ok yung pick.”
It should come as no surprise that a player of Ch4knu’s tenure would have a large hero pool. In fact, many pro players have a larger hero pool than what many realize but a lot of factors must be considered when it comes to picking which heroes to play.
For Omega, however, it’s more straightforward. “Nananalo kami kaya nage-explore kami ng mga bagong strats,” said Ch4knu casually. “Kumbaga kapag na-practice na namin ng maayos, ine-execute namin sa MPL.”
“Sigurong madayang strategy din to,” continued Ch4knu. “Kasi maraming hero kailangan mo i-ban o pag-isipin kasi maraming hero yung player. Tapos marami rin pwede pang-gulat namin.”
With that kind of confidence behind them, Omega are almost a shoo-in for the playoffs. Together with the strategic flexibility that Ch4knu provides, teams will need to watch out when they face against the Barangay.
Banner photo from MOONTON Games.