Get Rekt Team rules Marianas ESports League 2024

The CNMI’s very own Get Rekt Team won the championship of Season 2 of the Marianas ESports League held earlier this month in Guam.

The team is made up of team manager Rovien Maratita, team captain Samuell Alvarez. and members Bryce Maratita, Patrick Bangis, and Jarrel Catungal.

The tournament spanned over several months, beginning in late August of 2024 and concluding in early October.

According to the team, the tournament involved multiple phases, starting with qualifiers in late September, leading to the playoffs and culminating in early October. This extended timeline allowed the CNMI team to practice and strategize, giving them ample time to refine their gameplay leading up to the finals.

“We had to come up with new strategies… and the biggest one was changing roles, which the other team didn’t expect,” said Bryce Maratita and Catungal as they described the strategies the team used in tournaments to defeat their opponents.

Catungal and Alvarez further shared their roles in the tournaments and how they switched between tournaments, throwing off their opposing team. The team also talked about the challenges of coming up with different strategies against a strong opponent, One Trick from Guam.

“Our victory was secured through flexibility. We were able to switch roles in-game, which confused the other team and helped us win 4-2 in the best-of-seven series.”

As a new member of the team, Catungal explained it was his “first time” competing in the tournament and shared a laugh at how nervous he was. Bangis also pointed out that it was his first time competing as well. However, they both sure did a lot of work to help the team win the championship.

“In the first season of Maranas Esports League, we placed second. Fortunately, this year, in Season 2, we took the championship,” said Bryce Maratita as he explains their journey through the league.

When asked about their teamwork, Alvarez explained “It took time to build chemistry, but once we did, we were prepared. We added new members and focused on teamwork.” True to his statement, the team worked together and struggled together with each member contributing effectively creating a strong collaboration.

The team initially formed last year seeking new members through Facebook ads. Despite only having a month to prepare, they dedicated themselves to daily practice and communication.

They shared how their success had challenges such as different schedules such as balancing school and work while committing to the tournament, highlighting their cohesion, and coordinating remotely via WhatsApp but coming together for key matches.

“Some of us are students, some are working. We had to juggle between responsibilities and the tournament

schedule, but we stuck to it,” they shared.

Another significant part of their success was their ability to analyze and adapt to their competitors. Before each match, they discussed strategies and shared their strategies to counter the strengths of their rivals A key strategy they employed was banning the comfort picks of their opponents, forcing them to use characters they were less familiar with, creating an opportunity for an outplay against them.

Guam’s MESL is dedicated to fostering competitive gaming in the Marianas region, providing opportunities to showcase talents and allow individuals to compete at high levels. It is an instrument in promoting games such as Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and Valorant. Guam also participates in international tournaments from the ESports Federation which helped.

“In Guam, there’s an ESports federation that… has already been in the works,” Maratita explains. “We want to expand esports here in the CNMI, like what Guam is doing. There’s talent here, and with the right infrastructure and support, we can participate in international tournaments.”

Last year, the team attempted to join the International ESports Federation tournament, an international competition that Guam is participating in this year. With them being reigning champions of the MESL, Get Rekt envisions the development and awareness of a more formal ESports structure in the CNMI, similar to Guam’s established federation.

“For sports, Guam could be a hub, we could be a hub,” Maratita suggests as he mentions how the CNMI could emulate Guam’s success with the backing of infrastructure and funding support from the government to promote esports in the CNMI.

“We definitely want help from anybody who wants to invest and see that esports is a possibility here in the CNMI.”

Get Rekt believes esports is a growing community and would like others to explore and try it out.

“We wanted esports out in the community. If not, this is just exposure,” said Bryce Maratita. He also shares that the Northern Marianas College hosts mini tournaments every Friday for the community to join. “If you want to play games, you can come. It’s not only mobile. And if you want to compete in the competitive scene, then we can probably help you create it or help you join.”

Get Rekt is hoping to gain more players on their team by reaching out to the community and inviting interested players. They welcome high school and college students to join them and grow their team and community. For more information about their team, follow their Instagram @grekt_cnmi or contact them through email at grektesports@gmail.com.

With more support from the community and government to help the growth of esports, the team sees the possibility of esports becoming a tourist attraction, which in turn could help jump-start the local economy.