The MPL PH Opener was a great way to show off #LakasNgPinas.
The Mobile Legends Professional League – Philippines kicked off its 12th season strong. Legends have made their return and new rosters clash as teams are looking to make a statement at the opening of season 12 of the MPL PH.
Day one started with a banger as it was Blacklist International versus ECHO, a rematch of last season’s grand finals. For Blacklist, it was an opportunity for them to show that they’re as strong as ever even without the VeeWise duo.
However, it was business as usual for the reigning MPL champions as they convincingly 2-0’d the agents. With this win, ECHO is on a five-series win streak against Blacklist since the M4 grand finals. Overall, they proved that they still deserve to be at the top of the league after a terrific 2-1 win over ONIC Philippines.
RSG Philippines had a slow start to the weekend after struggling against ONIC. Their first game went to eight minutes with no kills but things quickly picked up afterwards with RSG taking the series despite being behind on gold most of the time.
They showed their true strength against AP.Bren in the opening match of day three. It was the most exciting set of the week, going the full distance with two 30-minute games. The two teams were neck-to-neck the whole series but RSG played the teamfights better and closed their week on a high note.
Travel Delays and Certified Classics
Speaking of AP.Bren, the recent World Esports Championship winners didn’t exactly have the smoothest opening to the MPL PH. Returning to the Philippines from Romania was a struggle for the team as they were delayed for over 24 hours. This resulted in AP.Bren only touching down the night before their first match against TNC Pro Team. Despite this, the team was in high spirits, crushing TNC but eventually falling short against RSG. It’s clear that the WEC champs need some time to recuperate before they’re back in form.
The weekend was capped off with the El Clasico match-up, Blacklist International versus Smart Omega. It was Blacklist’s championship-winning “MV3” lineup of Edward Dapdadap, Salic “Hadji” Imam, and Kiel “OHEB” Q.Soriano going up against Omega’s Hall of Legends players Joshua “Ch4knu” Mangilog and Carlito Ribo Jr.
The matches were intense and bloody, with both teams not willing to give an inch. Game two was especially vicious as constant fights between the teams meant that at one point there was an average of two kills per minute in the game. In the end, it was 2-0 for Blacklist but it could have been anyone’s game.
It’s clear that the teams are ready to give it their all and this is just the opening of the MPL PH season 12. The fighting is only going to get fiercer as we get closer to playoffs and the M5 World Championship.
Banner photo by Moonton Games.
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