Heroes rise in ‘Heroes of the Storm’ SEA Finals day one

With every hard-fought battle, our “Heroes of the Storm” teams come closer to achieving the goal many gamers can only dream of: bringing glory to the nation through their display of sheer skill and unwavering dedication.

For Filipino eSports heroes Renovatio and Renovatio 2, that goal came within reach when they proved themselves the top contenders in the HotS Global Championship Spring Season Philippines National Finals. (http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/557367/scitech/technology/heroes-of-the-storm-spring-philippines-finals-crowns-victor) Their victory earned them the right to represent the country in the Spring Regional Southeast Asia Finals.

The SEA Finals was a double-elimination tournament that pitted the teams against the toughest opponents from Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand. March 5, which was day one of the event, determined each team’s ranking in the Winners and Losers Bracket.

Renovatio consisted of:
John “Harharrr” Ichikawa (Flex)
Neil “vyy” San Juan (Flex)
Giovanni “Hyskoa” Ong (Assassin)
John “MiseryProx” Hernaez (Assassin)
Ronel “Stronger” Tan (Support)

Renovatio 2 consisted:
Kieron “JumpyLion” Goli (Flex)
HongJu “Asurai” Lee (Tank)
Carlo Miguel “Kaijah” Grande (Assassin)
Willy “Four” Lapidario (Support)
Lemuel “Lemmington” Eribaren (Assassin)

Each team faced three competitors.

Renovatio vs. Prospectors HOTS (Malaysia)

Match 1: Sky Temple

Renovatio established an early lead, capturing both temples, enlisting the aid of siege and bruiser mercenaries. Stronger’s excellent Uther snatched teammates from the brink of death more than once. Renovatio seized the other temples, leading to the destruction of Prospectors’ forward forts, and their second bottom lane fort.

Prospectors continued to fall; in a heavy clash for the bottom temple, Renovatio killed three of them. But Prospectors caught up, destroying all of Renovatio’s upper and lower forts. Eventually, though, Renovatio crushed Prospectors’ remaining forts, and, with the help of siege behemoths, demolished their core.

Renovatio: 12 kills, Lv20 vs. Prospectors: 1 kill, Lv16


Match 2: Infernal Shrines

Severe clashes led to Renovatio summoning their first Punisher and the deaths of several Prospectors. After these initial bouts, Renovatio continued to exert pressure on their opponent, squashing all their forward forts, and their upper and middle anterior forts. Prospectors did manage to obliterate Renovatio’s upper fort, but it was too little, too late. With the help of mercenaries and another Punisher, Renovatio marched into Prospectors’ base to claim victory.

Renovatio: 14 kills, Lv19 vs. Prospectors: 0 kills, Lv16


Winner: Renovatio, 2-0


Renovatio vs. Relics (Singapore)

Match 1: Sky Temple

Both sides exerted extra effort to control lanes with bruisers and siege monsters, which resulted in numerous bloody showdowns between heroes and mercenaries alike.

Though both teams had already lost their foremost middle and bottom lane forts, Renovatio stepped up their game and dismantled Relics’ forward top fort. At one point, MiseryProx’s Zagara used Devouring Maw to immobilize Relics’ ETC, which allowed the rest of Renovatio to kill him. Then, with the help of siege mercenaries and a boss, Renovatio demolished Relics’ posterior top and bottom forts, and extinguished three Relics heroes. Renovatio assailed Relics’ core until it was a pile of rubble.

Renovatio: 11 kills, Lv22 vs. Relics: 5 kills, Lv21


Match 2: Infernal Shrines

After thwarting two Punisher-led Relics offensives, Renovatio summoned their own Punisher. However, they found themselves preoccupied with defending their upper forts from Relics’ relentless invasion.

After Renovatio summoned the Punisher again, things went downhill for Relics. Renovatio conquered all their forts save one. The match’s final moments saw Renovatio capturing one more Punisher and slaying four of Relics’ heroes, which sealed a Philippine victory.

Renovatio: 24 kills, Lv22 vs. Relics: 3 kills, Lv20


Winner: Renovatio, 2-0


Renovatio vs. Greedisgood9999+ (Thailand)

Match 1: Sky Temple

The teams traded blows early, each destroying two forward enemy forts. The rest of the match was a constant struggle for temples and mercenaries, with plenty of heroes dying on both sides.

Many explosive brawls left Renovatio with no forts, and GDG9 with only two forts standing. Then, Renovatio’s siege mercenaries laid waste to the rear bottom lane fort. After a violent confrontation, Renovatio raced to the core and threw everything they had at it. Three Renovatio heroes died in the attack, but Sonya (vyy) and Muradin (Harharr) prevailed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

Renovatio: 15 kills, Lv23 vs. GDG9: 16 kills, Lv23




Match 2: Infernal Shrines

The first fight for the shrine proved extremely close, with each team killing 39 Guardians. GDG9 ultimately summoned the first Punisher. Renovatio later summoned their own Punisher to push the bottom lane. Another battle at a shrine wiped out GSG9.

Excellent teamwork allowed Renovatio to claim many lives. In one clash that slaughtered GDG9, Li-Ming (MiseryProx) Disintegrated Zagara, while Greymane (Hyskoa) executed Sonya. Still, both teams ended up with all their forward forts ravaged. Then, Renovatio, a Punisher, and siege mercenaries leveled GDG9’s second bottom fort, and marched towards the core to victory.

Renovatio: 19 kills, Lv21 vs. GDG9: 1 kill, Lv19


Winner: Renovatio, 2-0




Renovatio 2 vs. Fong Fei Kei Gaming (Malaysia)

Match 1: Cursed Hollow

Early clashes led to heavy casualties on both sides. Tassadar (Lemmington) and Johanna (Asurai) were instrumental in capturing a boss, which pulverized FFKG’s foremost top lane fort. In turn, FFKG devastated Ren2’s first bottom fort. Though FFKG eventually cursed Ren2, the ensuing battle cost FFKG three heroes.

With the help of siege mercenaries, a boss stolen from FFKG, and a curse, Ren2 bulldozed FFKG’s middle forts, and forward bottom fort. Kaijah’s Li-Ming vaporized FFKG’s Brightwing with Disintegrate, but Ren2 themselves suffered many losses. Eventually, Ren2 stampeded into FFKG’s base and razed its core.

Ren2: 11 kills, Lv20 vs. FFKG: 12 kills, Lv20


Match 2: Sky Temple

The struggle for early temple control proved fatal to both teams, but Ren2 soon dominated the competition. At one point, Kaijah’s Li-Ming liquefied Zagara with Disintegrate. Rehgar (Four) and Thrall (JumpyLion) busied themselves capturing mercenary camps. FFKG destroyed one fort. But with the help of temples and mercenaries, Ren2 smashed all of FFKG’s forts. Ren2 then wiped out the enemy at a top lane clash, before proceeding to the core and crushing it.

Ren2: 16 kills, Lv20 vs. FFKG: 7 kills, Lv18


Winner: Ren2, 2-0


Renovatio 2 vs. Resurgence (Singapore)

Match 1: Dragon Shire

Ren2 suffered due to Resurgence’s repeated summoning of the Dragon Knight. First, Ren2 lost all forward forts. Succeeding violent encounters nearly exterminated the entire Ren2 team twice, which allowed Resurgence to wreck their rear bottom and middle lane forts. Though Ren2 nearly wiped out Resurgence later in the game, it wasn’t enough to prevent a Resurgence victory.

Resurgence: 24 kills, Lv20 vs. Ren2: 4 kills, Lv18




Match 2: Sky Temple

Resurgence almost annihilated the entire team early in the game, and continued to rack up the kills all throughout. Ren2 was the first to demolish a fort, but Resurgence repaid the favor, ruining four forts in succession. After Resurgence captured several temples, claimed more lives, and sent mercenaries and a boss to the core, Ren2 crumbled and lost.

Resurgence: 28 kills, Lv22 vs. Ren2: 7 kills, Lv19

Winner: Resurgence, 2-0


Renovatio 2 vs. Hot Head Gaming (Thailand)

Match 1: Infernal Shrines

Ren2 endured five Punisher attacks during the entire match. Refusing surrender, Ren2 opted to maximize the potential of siege and bruiser mercenaries. But it wasn’t enough; HHG obliterated all forward forts and the rear upper fort.

Far from broken, Ren2 managed to bring down HHG’s middle lane forts. They also murdered HHG’s Illidan twice. HHG had done too much damage, however, and in the end, Ren2 succumbed to HHG’s viciousness.

HHG: 9 kills, Lv20 vs. Ren2: 2 kills, Lv19


Match 2: Cursed Hollow

HHG took an early lead, destroying Ren2’s forward bottom lane fort. After a disastrous clash for the second tribute, Ren2 seized a boss. HHG captured their own boss, which trashed Ren2’s upper fort. Both teams suffered massive casualties before HHG cursed Ren2 and wasted their first middle fort.

Ren2 soon lost their second bottom fort, and HHG its top forts. HHG attacked Ren2’s core, bringing its health down to 67%. Ren2 wiped out HHG, then retaliated by attacking HHG’s core. But by the time it was down to 51%, HHG had already revived. HHG chased Ren2 out of their base, captured a boss, then demolished their core.

HHG: 24 kills, Lv23 vs. Ren2: 18 kills, Lv24

Winner: HHG, 2-0


It’s not over, yet!

Renovatio claimed 3 wins and no losses, putting them in the Winners Bracket. Renovatio 2 took 1 win and 2 losses, placing them in the Losers Bracket. Both were still in the running to become the SEA Finals champion.

The day concluded with the teams exhausted yet fired up for the SEA Finals day two, which was scheduled for the following day – March 6. — TJD, GMA News