Smart Omega, Blacklist International Victorious in MPL-PH Season 10 Opener
Smart Omega poisoned the kingslayers-turned-kings, while Blacklist International started their bid to reclaim their crown at the Mobile Legends Professional League – Philippines Season 10 opener.
Brgy. Omega Slays The Kingslayers
Via Moonton
Smart Omega started the season with a massive upset as they slew RSG PH 2-0 in their opening matchup.
For their first game, it looked like Omega was at the mercy of the reigning MSC champions as Jonard Cedrix “Demonkite” Caranto took Joshua “Ch4knu” Mangilog’s life for first blood early on in the game. However, they got back with three kills for themselves, with two of those kills from the eventual Game 1 MVP Grant Duane “Kelra” Pillas. From there, Omega simply steamrolled their way to an under 13-minute victory.
Meanwhile, Game 2 was a much tougher victory that ended in a massive comeback for Omega. A quick skirmish just mere seconds from the game’s start resulted in Ch4knu’s first blood death yet again, this time at the hands of Arvie “Aqua” Antonio. From there, Omega trailed in terms of gold as RSG secured multiple takedowns and several objectives. Omega would’ve then lost the game if it weren’t for the efforts of Kelra who kept the game at arm’s length which earned him the Game MVP honors once more.
In a post-match interview, Coach Jomie “Pakbet” Abalos revealed they earnestly prepared for this matchup.
“Sobrang prepared namin ngayon (We prepared so much today),” he stated. “Sila yung una naming makakalaban kaya grabe [yung] preparation namin para sa [RSG] (They were our first opponents so we prepared so much for RSG).”
Blacklist International Starts Path To Reclaiming The Crown
Via Moonton
With the prime roster back, Blacklist International put on a show and defeated Nexplay Evos 2-1.
Game 1 started with a bang as Blacklist took 4 unanswered kills before Nexplay got on the board and answered back with 3 kills of their own. With the duo of Johnmar “OhMyV33nus” Villaluna and Danerie James “Wise” Del Rosario back, Blacklist had so much control of the map that even Nexplay’s John Paul “H2wo” Salonga got suffocated in his own jungle area. Blacklist finished the game with an ambush where Kiel “OHEB” Soriano snagged a double kill that led to a base rush that ended things out.
Unfortunately, Blacklist fell on Game 2 due to Nexplay’s commendable decision to go all in with an all-out offensive draft. The kills started with Wise as the first blood victim of H2wo and things escalated from there. Blacklist was so behind against Nexplay that their team easily got picked off like cherries from a tree. With the score 11-2 against them, Blacklist lost the game at the 13-minute mark as Nexplay forced their way in and left much of the Blacklist squad on their respawn time.
Thankfully, the reigning M3 champions were able to close the third game of the series on their own terms, A first blood on OhMyV33nus did not deter the Blacklist squad as they quickly focused on the bigger picture and secured objectives. By the 10-minute mark, Blacklist managed to severely diminish Nexplay’s chances of winning by clearing the map of their enemy’s turrets (save for the last three turrets that defended Nexplay’s base). With the smell of victory up in the air, Blacklist ended the game in style through OHEB’s first Savage of the season.
In this matchup, Blacklist pulled out a jungle Natalia on the third game, a hero that’s usually at the hands of a roamer. In the post-match interview, Wise revealed that Coach Kristoffer “BON CHAN” Ricaplaza allowed him to pull the unconventional pick as he was confident with his “assassin meta”. Moreover, Coach BON CHAN also stated that the pick was initially reserved for future matches but was ultimately brought out due to Nexplay’s threat due to their proficiency with the hero.
With their respective wins, both Smart Omega and Blacklist International are tied with one win each while RSG PH and Nexplay Evos each suffered their first losses for this season.
The next set of matches of MPL-PH Season 10 will feature the all-new ONIC PH going against Bren Esports, Nexplay against TNC, and a matchup between Smart Omega and Blacklist International at the end.
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