ECHO Survives Knockout Bout Against Team HAQ in M4
ECHO survived their first knockout bout in the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang M4 World Championship after they defeated Malaysia’s Team HAQ 3-2 in their best-of-5 series.
Echo advances to the Upper Bracket semis of the #M4 World Championship! 🔥
The #MPLPH representatives outlasted and dropped the Malaysian squad, Team Haq to the Lower Bracket. 💯#PinasLangMalakas #MLBBM4 #DareToBeGreat #MPLPhilippines pic.twitter.com/8vnpRWXG5Z
— MPL Philippines (@MplPhilippines) January 7, 2023
The Filipino representatives couldn’t have had a better start as they took Games 1 and 2, respectively.
In Game 1, ECHO’s mettle was immediately tested as HAQ went toe to toe with them. To start, ECHO was fed early on in the game as HAQ’s Aimin “Minn” Anuar died three times for the Orcas in the first three minutes. However, HAQ managed to keep it close later on in the game, even successfully taking away the second Turtle. Fortunately, the Karrie of Benedict “Bennyqt” Gonzales was steadily surging, hitting like a storm that consistently wipe out HAQ’s numbers which eventually gave him the game MVP honors with an 11/3/3 KDA. ECHO then ended the game with their signature backdooring, this time through Bennyqt who found an opening whilst everyone else was dancing for the fourth Lord.
With spirits high from their Game 1 win, ECHO took Game 2 in a snap. It was a much quicker (and easier) game for the Orcas compared to the first one, with the game ending at just twelve minutes and nineteen seconds. Once again, ECHO succeeded thanks to Bennyqt’s Karrie as he took back-to-back game MVPs with his Game 2 performance on a 10/1/4 KDA.
Unfortunately, ECHO’s winning momentum halted immediately as HAQ bounced back in Games 3 and 4, respectively. In Game 3, ECHO’s self ban on Karrie proved to be detrimental as Bennyqt was forced to pick Beatrix, a hero with an abysmal win rate of 18.2% in M4 prior to the match’s start. That, plus HAQ’s commendable early game dominance and a snowballed Joy at the hands of Muhammad “Garyy” Syafizan, gave ECHO their first loss in the series. Meanwhile in Game 4, ECHO tried to change things up with a Yi Sun-shin jungler pick for former M2 champion Karl “KarlTzy” Nepomuceno. Unfortunately, the YSS pick turned out not to be the answer as ECHO instead got a taste of their own medicine, getting backdoored themselves and losing the game in just eighteen minutes of action.
At the decider, ECHO took Game 5 in a very swift fashion, with the game just lasting for ten minutes and fifty-seven seconds. Initially, it looked like HAQ had the upper hand early as ECHO lost 2-1 in a 3-versus-3 bottom clash at the 3-minute mark. However, it was thanks to game MVP Alston “Sanji” Pabico’s performance with Yve that carried the team to victory, with him going ballistic at the 8-minute mark with a 5/1/0 KDA and eventually adding four more assists to make it 5/1/4 at the end of the game.
With ECHO surviving their first upper bracket match, ECHO will face Kairi “Kairi” Rayosdelsol and the rest of ONIC Indonesia in the upper bracket semis.
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