Business and Management (B&M) Vipers cemented their place as the first-ever Tekken champions of Palarong Atenista, beating the School of Nursing (SON) Panthers in a best-of-five championship round, 3-2.

The first game opened with SON Panthers’ Carlson Kerk Arenas as Steve Fox, swiping the round through unpredictable grabs and quick drops, but the B&M Vipers’ Karl Miguel Chu Im as Claudio Serafino bounced back swiftly and countered with heavy-hitting combos to secure the round.

Game two saw SON Panthers’ Steve Fox once again assailed the first two rounds with aggressive maneuvers and double jab pressures to rack up quick damage, but the B&M Vipers’ Claudio Serafino bit back, mounting a clutch comeback with well-timed counterhits. 

In the third game, SON Panthers’ Steve Fox unleashed a decisive Sonic Fang mixup, cruising through back-to-back rounds with precise execution to edge closer to victory. 

However, the B&M Vipers slithered their way back in the game, with B&M Claudio Serafino’s armor moves countering SON Panthers’ Steve’s rushdown offense, forcing a Game 5 decider.

With the championship title on the line, the chosen arena shrank and tension soared as the B&M Vipers stunned the crowd by switching to Shaheen in the final moments. 

In the final decisive game, SON Panthers opened strong, but the Vipers adjusted, punishing whiffs and piling on pressure. 

B&M Vipers pulled off a gamble with Shaheen’s mix-ups that broke through SON Panthers’ Steve defense, allowing the Vipers to sweep the last two rounds and seal a historic 3-2 victory. 

Chu Im revealed that much of their preparation came from sharing limited gear. 

“In terms of practice, wala kasi akong laptop or PS5 pero yung teammate ko meron siyang laptop so ang ginagawa namin kay siya gadala sa laptop, ako gadala sa controller,” he shared.

He emphasized that maintaining composure was key to their win, trusting a tenacious mindset amid pressure.

“Usually, if ever maglaro ako during the game, nakafocus ako….If matalo man in one game, there’s another game to come back to.”

He also pointed to the addition of Tekken in this year’s Palaro as a breakthrough for players like him, finally giving space to a game beyond the mainstream ones. 

“Honestly, I feel like ang prevalent kasi here sa Philippines or sa Davao in general kay mostly focus on ML and DOTA. Nalipay ako na may tournament sa AdDU kay ga compete kasi ako locally for Davao.”

The Tekken championship took place on September 28 at G/F Arrupe Hall, Ateneo de Davao University, and was live-streamed via the Ateneo Cavalry Esports Society Facebook page.