It was a grand finals that’ll be talked about for years to come, and this isn’t even the pro league.
Last Sunday was truly one for the history books as the MLBB Development League (MDL) and Road to MLBB Women’s Invitational (MWI) crowned their champions.
For RRQ Kaito, they achieved perfection as they went undefeated in matches for the entire season. Meanwhile, Omega Empress proved that they’re the strongest female MLBB team in the Philippines by winning the Road to MWI and will represent the country in the upcoming Esports World Cup later this July.
Despite their dominant record, RRQ ended up having the fight of their careers against ECHO Proud in the grand finals. As the reigning MDL champions, ECHO wasn’t going to just relinquish their throne. RRQ was in danger of failing at the finish line multiple times due to ECHO’s tenacity, but in the end RRQ was clutch when it mattered the most and was able to seal the championship 3-2.
Omega on the other hand continued to show why they were our 2023 SEA Games female representatives for MLBB. The silver medalist team was truly a cut above the competition as they suffered no game losses and swept the entire playoffs.
Getting Ready for Bigger Competition
Despite these momentous victories, both the MDL and Road to MWI champions can’t afford to rest just yet. In only a few short days, RRQ will take part in the Snapdragon Pro Series Open Finals, where they will be facing a higher caliber of teams from all over Southeast Asia. It’s a big leap for RRQ but coach Jian “Pauloxpert” Munsayac already has the winning formula for his team.
“All we had to do was to keep humble. Bawal lumaki ang ulo ng mga players,” said the coach when asked how they were able to maintain their perfect regular season record. “Kung lumaki yan, doon sila nagiging komportable at napapabayaan nila ang laro nila. So that’s the most important thing to keep in check.”
And while Omega has about two months to prepare for the Esports World Cup, they can’t rest on their laurels as they could end up facing Indonesia’s Team Vitality, the team they lost the gold to in the 2023 SEA Games. Even so, Merry “Meraaay” Vivero is confident that her team can take anyone on.
“Need lang namin ng konting linis at disiplina sa laro,” said Meraaay. “Malayo na yung laro namin ngayon [compared to SEA Games], so kaya namin kahit sinong team sa kahit sinong region.”
Banner photo from MOONTON Games.
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