KUALA LUMPUR – “Smooth seas don’t make skilful sailors” is how Nureddy “DaddyHood” Nursal would best describe the ethos of his esports team, Homebois, following their loss to the world champions, AP.Bren, at the Games of the Future tournament in Russia.
Homebois faced a formidable challenge against AP.Bren twice and ultimately fell short in the quarter-finals.
The Filipino powerhouse sent Homebois home in the quarter-finals after a 2-0 win, replicating their earlier group-stage encounter.
Homebois were drawn into Group B with Turkish team S2G Esports, Saudi Arabia’s Twisted Minds and AP.Bren.
Despite an initial setback against AP.Bren, the defending Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League (MPLMY) champions rebounded against S2G of Saudi Arabia to book their place in the playoffs.
Their playoff journey pitted them against home team Deus Vult, ranked in the top four globally.
Impressively, Homebois swept them aside, 2-0, to advance to the quarter-finals.
“For me, my players have done their best as we had a tough draw having to play AP.Bren in the group stage and facing them again in the quarter-finals.
“So yeah, our journey was really tough but I’m happy with how they did as they showed their potential,” said Nureddy when contacted by Scoop.
Despite the losses, Nureddy sees progress in his team’s performance, particularly in their ability to contend with AP.Bren.
“We’ve shown improvement against AP.Bren because we managed to lead the early game against them.
“Even though we faced difficulties in hero selection, we were able to manage the late game, so yes I believe we have improved a lot,” added the Homebois owner.
Looking ahead, Nureddy is optimistic about Homebois’ prospects in the upcoming MPLMY, scheduled to commence on March 29, based on the performance of his team in Russia.
“We want to become the first Malaysian team to win back-to-back titles in the history of the league,” Nureddy said. – March 1, 2024