SEA Games esports: Sibol breaks through as women's Wild Rift squad goes unbeaten

MANILA, Philippines -- The Philippines' national esports team Sibol finally caught a break as GrindSky Eris dominated the group stages of the women's League of Legends: Wild Rift Team tournament.

The squad went undefeated in four matches at the Vietnam National Convention Center on Tuesday.

A complete opposite of their male counterparts, the ladies flashed brilliance in all their matches, weathering a wipeout against Thailand to eventually take their first win of the day, 22-14.

Then, they routed Singapore for an easy base take for their second win, 22-11. Against Laos, they left no room for errors in a quick 12.5-minute match, 33-6 -- their penultimate assignment of the day.

In the finals, the Filipina gamers saw host country Vietnam being strategic with their bans, targeting champions Karma, Olaf and Yuumi, which the Filipina squad favored.

Nevertheless, the Nationals showcased their mastery of the game with a 20-4 victory in 19 minutes and 10 seconds.

Sibol thus took the top spot in the group stages and immediately booked their slot in the playoffs.

Meanwhile, the country's bets for PUBG Mobile-Individual tournament had a good run, especially on 
Map 2 of the day (Map 7 overall) with three Filipinos finishing the map in the top four.

But the lack of an overall map win deprived the highest ranking Pinoy, Reimon "Rymon" Casido, of a podium finish.

Casido ended the event at fifth place with a score of 92, eights point shy of a bronze.

Raymond “H2R” Basilio, who at one point was ranked first in the overall rankings, fell to seventh place with 80 points.

All athletes will again see action in the PUBG Mobile Team tournament.