REDEMPTION DENIED: ECHO crushes Blacklist to steal MPL PH S11 title
Denzel Jed Gaddi
ECHO showed dominance yet again, but this time in the MPL stage, as they swept defending champions Blacklist International to claim the MPL Philippines Season 11 trophy on Sunday.
Photo Courtesy of MPL PH |
Last M4 World Championship, the Orcas delivered a huge upset to the heavily favored then defending titleholder via a 4-0 victory, banking on the brilliance of Finals MVP Benedict "Bennyqt" Gonzales.
En route to the championship, ECHO trounced S11 MVP Rowgien "Owgwen" Unigo and the #1 seed BREN Esports and the defending MSC victors RSG Philippines.
Eager to write a redemption story and reclaim the crown, Blacklist cruised to the upper bracket as the third seed while ousting Smart Omega, Bren, and RSG in the process.
Sanford had other plans, though.
Sanford "Sanford" Vinuya earned Finals MVP recognition after dominating his matchup against the newly-inducted Hall of Legend Edward "EDWARD" Dapadap.
Starting off the sweep was Karl "KarlTzy" Nepomuceno's impressive game 1 showing through his Lancelot early game masterclass, snowballing into a flawless 14-minute takedown of their opponent.
The M3 champs made quick work in the second game, riding the hot hands of Sanford (Lapu-Lapu) who frontlined their offense on its Bravest Fighter form, sustaining all the damage from the foe's gold laner.
Nonetheless, their pick-off assault tactic throughout the series shined brightly in the third game as they recorded a 10-1 scoring in just the 7-minute mark..
Orca showed no signs of weakness in the brawl, led by the merciless showing of Bennyqt's Beatrix that tallied 11 kills and 7 assists.
Furthermore, Sanford (Joy) and Alston "Sanji" Pabicon (Yve) inflicted major damage, slotting 10 and 16 assists, respectively.
In the first lord fight, the Orcas faked a teamfight to force opponent's Faramis to use its Cult Altar before striking an instant combo knock-up to enemy jungler, resulting in a three-man takedown.
From thereon, Orcas never looked back when the second lord, paired with ECHO’s towering minion management, trampled over the Blacklist’s last ditch efforts in defending the crystal.
Both teams will represent the Philippines in the Mobile Legends: Southeast Asia Cup 2023 this June.
Jostle Doen Pilayre