PH’s Smart Omega, Blacklist Ultimate qualify for playoffs of CODM Garena Regional Qualifiers
Philippine CODM powerhouse teams Smart Omega and Blacklist International Ultimate have qualified for the playoff stage of the Call of Duty Mobile Garena Regional Qualifiers as the group stages came to a close last night, September 14th.
Graphic poster by: Snifty Graphics (https://web.facebook.com/SniftyGraphics)
Both teams will now move on and prepare for the playoffs after six separate days of hard-fought and grueling matches in their respective groups.
Reigning CODM Eastern World Champions Blacklist Ultimate finished 3rd in Group A after battling the likes of ABC Esports (Indonesia), ALMGHTY (Singapore), Huntsmen (Malaysia), ChangeWorld (Taiwan/Hong Kong/Macau), and LYNXTH (Thailand), racking up 3 wins against 2 losses with 9 map wins against 6 map losses.
The 2021 Garena Regional Qualifier runner-up felt the absence of ace player Gian “Yato” Socao who was unable to play due to age restrictions. Blacklist struggled mightily against top contenders in ABC Esports and ALMGHTY, losing to both teams 0-3 which resulted in their 3rd place finish.
Photo from Garena CODM
On the other hand, back-to-back Garena Masters champions Smart Omega is peaking at the right time as they finished first in Group B after going up against DG Esports (Indonesia), WDC Freeslot (Thailand), WPM LowKings (Philippines), ACE (Malaysia) and NGU (Taiwan/Hong Kong/Macau) garnering 4 wins and 1 loss with 12 map wins against 3 map losses.
It was a good entry performance for Smart Omega alongside their new coach Jericho “Jericho” Ambulo AKA Coach J to secure Group B’s top seed in the group dubbed the ‘Group of Death’.
Photo from Garena CODM
The Garena Regional Qualifiers will now proceed to its playoff stage starting tomorrow, September 16, in a double-elimination format. Blacklist International Ultimate as the 3rd seed in Group A will face Group B’s 3rd seed WDC Freeslot while Smart Omega will await the winner of the matchup between Singapore’s ALMGHTY and Indonesia’s DG Esports for their playoff opponent.
The tournament is Stage 4 for Southeast Asia’s road to the CODM World Championship and serves as a ticket for the region’s teams to qualify for Stage 5 (Worlds). Only two of the six remaining teams will advance and have the chance to represent Garena and Southeast Asia on the world’s biggest stage.
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