Elevate secures opening win, Rough World Era falls in HOK Invitational S3 debut
Photo from HOK Global Esports
Elevate secures opening win, Rough World Era falls in HOK Invitational S3 debut
QUEZON CITY – Elevate and Rough World Era experienced contrasting fates as the Honor of Kings Invitational Season 3 kicked off at SM North EDSA’s The Block Atrium.
The Philippine qualifiers’ runners-up delivered a 3-1 victory against MENA’s Gen.G Esports, while newcomers Rough World Era struggled in a 1-3 loss to Korea’s Nongshim RedForce.
Elevate dropped Game 1 in 14 minutes as Abdessamad “Ray” Allouch dominated with Dun, leading Gen.G to an early lead. However, Miguel “Mitsura” Gavin’s Nuwa turned the tide in Game 2, stealing the Tempest to tie the series.
From there, Cedrick “Ivalice” Santos and Eleazar “Azar” Salle took control, securing Games 3 and 4 to seal the win in Group A.
Rough World Era stumbled out of the gate as Min “Kyoung9” Kyoung-hyeon’s Biron spearheaded Nongshim RedForce’s Game 1 victory.
Pon “7Gin” Yi Heng’s Mayene fought back with clutch plays in Game 2, leveling the series. But NS had other plans—Jo “Illusion” Seung-bin’s Yixing and You “FEY” Min-gyu’s Mozi locked down Games 3 and 4, handing the Koreans their first Group D win.
Meanwhile, Europe’s Team Vitality, powered by four China-based players, crushed Brazil’s Alpha7 in a swift 3-0 sweep, making an early statement in Group B.
Elevate faces a tougher challenge on Day 2, as they take on fellow PH contenders Blacklist International in a high-stakes matchup.
The day kicks off with Myanmar’s Impunity clashing with Indonesia’s Kagendra, followed by Bigetron Sigma looking to halt Nongshim RedForce’s momentum.
