MNL48’s Stalwart League fell short in grabbing a spot in the playoffs of Pokemon Unite AKB48 Group Invitational tournament after defeat in the Lower Bracket Final earlier today.
Stalwart League, the first of the two Philippine teams in the tourney and composed of Coleen Trinidad, Dana Brual, Princess Briquillo, Lyza Roxas, and Ella Amat, faced BNK48’s Very Vary twice but lost both the Upper Bracket match-up and Lower Bracket Final, losing 2-1 and 2-0 respectively.
In Upper Bracket Match 1, the squad led by Coleen scored big points in the pre-game, while defending their own goal points, which was the target of Very Vary, led by Jiradapa “Pupe” Intajak.
However, as the match went on, Suchaya “Jib” Saenkhot, controlling Talonflame, and Jidarpha “Panda” Chamchooy scored large amounts of points, stretching in the lead. Very Vary also increased the said lead after defeating Articuno in the center, nabbing its x2 Score Bonus, and grabbing the first win of the day.
In their Game 2, Coleen, who is controlling Cinderace, have pushed on with their aggressive playstyle, scoring large amounts of points while securing Rotom on the Top Lane, while Dana, who is controlling Talonflame, and Lyza, who is controlling Snorlax, are defending the Bottom Lane.
Princess, who is controlling Greninja, scored a large number of points in the same match, winning their encounter against Very Vary, and bringing their match towards Game 3.
In Game 3, Stalwart League tries to do the same strategy, getting aggressive in the early and late games while nabbing the x2 Score Bonus, but it was Jib who made a clutch move, scoring 100 points in the last seconds of the match, bringing the advantage towards Very Vary’s side.
After losing the opening match in group play, Stalwart League continued their campaign in the Lower Bracket, where they faced Amazons48, one of the two representatives of JKT48. In the said match, the ladies from Manila had swept the ladies from Jakarta, 2-0, after Coleen and her teammates, along with Ella, who is controlling Alolan Ninetales, scored a high number of points.
On the other hand, Very Vary lost their match against CGM48’s Stezie, 1-2, earning them a Lower Bracket Final spot and a rematch with Stalwart League.
In their Lower Bracket Final, Coleen and the team are still in their aggressive playstyle, scoring amounts of points in the pre-game. But later on, Very Vary caught on, scoring goals while never letting go of the opportunity coming from the game’s “Final Stretch.”
Team Padayon, the second team representing MNL48, will have their opportunity to qualify for the playoffs as they start their campaign tomorrow. They’ll face CGM48’s attack in the second Upper Bracket match at 11:30 AM.