Getting good at PUBG Mobile: How joining PMNC 2021 Solo felt like

IF you’ve followed my journey so far, then you’d know I am, by all means, a casual PUBG Mobile player who has many lows and some ups. Nevertheless, I’ve been curious about how competing in a professional PUBG Mobile tournament would feel, so when I saw that one can sign up as a solo competitor in the PUBG Mobile National Championship (PMNC 2021), I didn’t hesitate to join. It may not be like PMPL MY/SG, but hey, it’s just one step behind the national top tier.

Behold, my experience competing Solo in PMNC 2021 for Blog Entry #7:

Sign me up!

The registration process for PMNC 2021 was pretty simple, with just a few fields to fill out. I simply followed what I wrote in our “How to join PMNC 2021” guide and didn’t have any issues with the process whatsoever. IO Esports really made the whole registration as easy as it can, so there’s little room for error save for personal ones.

I was slightly anxious waiting for my confirmation and constantly checked the PMNC 2021 website, and it was neat that I could easily just type in my name to get my answer without scrolling through the ocean of names. After less than three days, my PENDING status converted to that sweet green CONFIRMED.

Cue training montage

All that’s left was to prepare myself for the big leagues (from my perspective)! My biggest anxiety was how I would fare when I get into CQCs (closed-quarters combat) during the qualifiers, which is why instead of jumping into Classic mode, I opted for Team Deathmatch mode to help hone that aspect of my gameplay.

It didn’t help that my Arena level wasn’t high enough to equip me with more attachments, but I saw that as a way to adapt using bare-bones guns since there’s a chance I won’t have such luxury during the battle royale matches (which turned out to be mostly true).

Into the frying pan

It’s game night! After a round of check-in, all 35 of us – about 20 more were unconfirmed or no-shows – in Group E of Karakin Zone huddled around virtually on Discord for the room ID and password, which changed every match. When the clock struck 8.12 PM, what began were three of the most important PUBG Mobile matches I’ll ever play in this lifetime (I think).

Since I still had little confidence in my CQC skills, I played more defensively and avoided encounters as much as possible, assuming which are the unlikeliest areas that others would drop in (like Ruins in Erangel, albeit with terrible loot). I also made the effort to remember the flight path and how many players were on the plane, so I can predict where they’ll be coming from to enter the circle.

I did pretty well placement-wise (11th) in my first match, moving on foot the whole time and going prone when there was a vehicle nearby. It was pretty uneventful in the first 15-ish minutes, up until my blunder – I was too exposed in Pochinki, and little did I know an enemy player was nearby hiding. He had the high ground, so it was like shooting a fish in a barrel for him.

For my second match in Sanhok, I adopted a more risky approach by rotating in a vehicle I found. I eventually became overconfident and thought I was untouchable in the car, which cost me placement points by dropping early. In the midst of entering the circle, while crossing a bridge, a silent ninja (hiding behind one of the abandoned trucks) gunned me down when I drove past him.

And finally, how fitting I got my very first kill in Miramar (Match 3) when I finally got a DMR (marksman rifle) with the SKS and a Micro Uzi (my favourite combo). I drove around towards the circle, constantly watching my surroundings to avoid being surprised again before I stumbled upon a vehicle in a peculiar location.

When I realised that an enemy player was inside, I quickly got out of the car to shoot him before he noticed me. Although I got knocked a few minutes after, I was pretty happy with the outcome.

Part of a community

I confess that I identify as a lurker (someone who doesn’t get involved much) in the virtual space, but if you’re a Malay speaker who’s up to chat with your fellow competitors, rest assured that the Discord server for PMNC 2021 was rife with activity.

Plenty of them chatted away anything that’s tournament-related, but what stood out for me most were the open invitations by other players to participate in casual scrims/training. Unfortunately, I didn’t check my Discord as often as I should and missed out on said scrims, but it’s something I’ll keep in mind if I join the next PMNC.

Most importantly, to any reader who’s planning to go pro in the PUBG Mobile esports scene, the PMNC Discord server is a great way to not only network but also hopefully join a team to compete together in other tournaments. I saw at least five open tryouts seeking out new members for their team. So if you’re serious about PUBG Mobile esports, don’t miss this out.

Will I join the next PMNC? Undoubtedly, yes. I would want to take part in the casual scrims other players are hosting, just to have a little more fun, as well as network with them a little more.

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This article is part of a weekly blog series by eGG-steemed writers, to share their progress playing your favourite games not only for fun, but also to level up their mastery and understand your love for the game.