Yet another win in the country’s esports community was brought home by one of the top gamers of ARC Juicy Legends TOURnament, Bren Esports — the moniker of the Philippine Mobile Legends team in Razer Southeast Asia Invitational’s Mobile Legends: Bang Bang event.
Bren Esports could have easily won a spot in the upper bracket finals had they not taken Indonesia’s Rimo Batara lightly in Game 1. When the Philippines finally got face-to-face with Rimo Batara in a two-game series, the latter overcame a whopping 14-kill deficit that stole the series opener.
The Philippine Mobile Legends team pulled off an out-of-the-ordinary pick with Alice that paved their way to redeem themselves in the second game, finishing off Indonesia in just less than 13 minutes behind teen prodigy, KarlTzy.
ARC Refreshments Corporation proudly recognizes Bren Esports’ international win as their second ML team, “Bren Esports Limitless,” also competed in Juicy Legends’ Pro Division category against Aether in July 2019 Grand Finals. Like other professional esports athletes who competed overseas, Bren Esports took Juicy Legends as a training ground to achieving the victory under their name.
Making dreams possible for esports athletes
The recent win of Bren Esports is proof that esports can take you to many places. While electronic games are now hailed as a new kind of sport, esports is still a subject of derision by many people, especially in the Philippines.
Juicy Legends’ major partner, ULVL Gaming, has always cited this problem in the esports community. Moymoy Palaboy a.k.a. Roadfill, the founder of ULVL Gaming, once said in an interview during a season of Juicy Legends where Bren Esports Limitless competed that providing young esports athletes with an inclusive platform can really go a long way.
Amid some people’s perceptions that downplay esports as merely a past-time hobby that is often linked to academic delinquency, his sincerest advice was: “Kung nakikita niyong magaling kayo sa isang bagay, ‘wag kayong paghihinaan ng loob sa sasabihin ng iba. Basta ‘wag niyo lang kalilimutan siyempre ‘yung iba pang priorities niyo, lalo na ‘yung school.” (If you see yourself doing great at something, don’t be discouraged by what other people say. Just keep in mind that you have other priorities as well, especially school.)
Christian Fajura, team captain of Bren Esports Limitless, also expressed his gratitude when they competed last year: “Thankful kami sa ULVL and Juicy Lemon kasi kung ‘di dahil sa partnership nila, hindi mabubuo itong tournament na ito at wala rin kami rito (We’re thankful for ULVL and Juicy Lemon because without their partnership, this tournament will not happen and we won’t be where we are now).”
Truly, to be exposed in several local and international tournaments is more than just the cash prize or the coveted trophy for young esports athletes like Bren Esports. It’s also about the pride of being able to reach your dreams, one step at a time, despite the discouragement from other people.
More esports athletes in the future
Acknowledgment and support can go hand-in-hand in relation to matters such as esports. Providing young esports athletes with a platform is a crucial step towards broadening the community — and ARC Refreshments Corporation’s initiatives through Juicy Legends have succeeded in empowering esports athletes by becoming a notable training ground for professional and amateur gamers.
Being the company behind “RC Cola Liga ng Bayan” 3×3 Basketball Tournament, ARC envisions a potential in the esports community to advocate for the brand’s values as well, thus making Juicy Lemon the brand headline for this branch of their sports advocacy.
“We’ve always wanted to uphold ARC’s principle in support of our athletes. But more than the recognition that the esports community deserves, we also wanted to honor aspiring esports athletes with the platform that can further hone their skills. I think we can proudly say that Bren Esports’ victory is tantamount to the success of our initiatives to promote teamwork, sportsmanship, and resiliency in the Philippine sports,” said James Loverio, Head of Marketing, ARC Refreshments Corporation.
Juicy Lemon is the refreshing, low-calorie, lemon-flavored soft drink of ARC Refreshments Corp., the manufacturer of other well-loved beverages namely RC Cola, Seetrus, Fruit Soda Orange, Arcy’s Rootbeer and Rite ‘N Lite.
