SRG gold laner John "Innocent" Banal broke down how the Selangor Red Giants managed to take down Team Liquid PH at the M7 World Championship.
Selangor Red Giants’ Filipino gold laner John Banal couldn’t be prouder of his team after handing Team Liquid PH its first loss of the M7 World Championship on Tuesday, January 13.
After TLPH drew first blood in Game 1, SRG adjusted in the next two games, leaning on a double-fighter composition and a targeted early-game plan against Oheb to flip the series.
Innocent played a central role in the turnaround. Although his Game 1 Savage ultimately went for naught, he bounced back with a 5-1-10 performance on Sora in Game 2 and followed it up with a 5-2-11 outing in the decider, anchoring SRG’s damage output from the gold lane.
Asked about facing Team Liquid, Innocent underscored how mentally demanding the matchup was.
“Sa lahat ng nakalaban namin, sa kanila lang talaga kami nahirapan, ‘yung hindi ka puwede tumigil mag-isip sa game,” Innocent told the MOONTON media. “Pagka-start ng teamfight, dapat tuloy-tuloy pa rin yung communication niyo kasi ganoon sila ng klase ng team.”
“Pag hindi ka nag-isip saglit, tapos biglang magugulat ka sa gagawin nila at tatalo ka,” he said, recalling how tightly contested their past meetings have been, including at the MSC.”
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The victory, Innocent said, was a major confidence booster for the Malaysian side, especially given Team Liquid’s decorated resume.
“Sobrang boost sa confidence namin kasi sila sobrang win streak nila—MSC, back-to-back MPL, tapos SEA Games,” he said. “Mas nakita rin namin kung ano ‘yung malalakas talaga na hero sa meta dahil kung ano ‘yung inaalis nila at ginagamit nila.”
With the win, Selangor Red Giants secured a spot in the knockout stage with a 3–0 Swiss Stage record.
Team Liquid, meanwhile, dropped to Round 4 but remains in contention, needing just one win against Yangon Galacticos to advance.
Should both teams continue their runs, a rematch later in the tournament—possibly on the M7 Finals stage—remains very much on the table.
(With reports from Gillian Trinidad/One Sports)
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Kiko Demigillo’s journey in sports storytelling began with a deep passion for games and athletes, which eventually grew into a full-fledged career.
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