MANILA -- As the frontrunners in Season 7 of the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League in the Philippines, Blacklist International and Execration will also have the tall order to represent the country in the ML:BB Southeast Asia Cup (MSC 2021), slated to start this weekend.

On Wednesday night, Blacklist International and Execration were drafted to Groups C and D, respectively, where they will compete with teams from Indonesia, Singapore, Cambodia, and Laos.

BLACKLIST INTERNATIONAL

Coming from an immaculate run in MPL Philippines which saw them fall only once in the regular season, Philippine title holders Blacklist International are expected to throw around their unorthodox picks against international teams.

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As they are drafted to Group C, they will be competing against MPL-Indonesia runner-up Bigetron Alpha and Cambodia's banner team, Impunity KH.

Bigetron Alpha had a perfect run in the upper bracket playoffs in the local league. However, it fell to an EVOS Legends squad in the grand finals of the league, 2-4. It will also miss anew the services of their captain and core player Jabran "Branz" Bagus Wiloko, who was suspended by the team after lewd sounds were heard in in one of his livestreams.

Impunity KH was Cambodia’s banner team for the Southeast Asian Games in 2019, and was also Cambodia's representative for the inaugural M1 World Championship the same year.

It had also competed in the M2 World Championship in January this year, where it was one of the three teams eliminated in the group stages.

EXECRATION

Coming from a head-turning MPL Philippines Season 7 playoff run which saw them eliminate world champions Bren Esports and M2 playoff qualifiers Smart Omega, and eventually qualifying to the grand finals after defeating Aura PH in three quick sets, all eyes are set on Execration carrying their momentum to the MSC.

Their MSC campaign will start with them competing with MPL Singapore inaugural champions Evos SG and Nightmare Esports from Laos.

Evos SG have had a decorated season in the inaugural MPL Singapore. As MPL Singapore’s frontrunners in the regular season, they started in the upper bracket, and beat RSG SG in the grand finals via a quick and flawless 3-0 victory.

They were also Singapore’s representatives to the M2 World Championships, qualifying for the lower bracket playoffs but ending their campaign early in after falling to MPL Malaysia champions Todak, 2-0.

Nightmare Esports from Laos is one of the teams directly invited to the MSC, as they won the local qualifying round.

MSC will resume this year after it was cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, through an online-only tournament. ONIC Esports from Indonesia won the title in 2019, when it was held in the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Group preliminaries will run from June 7-9. The playoffs will run from June 11-13.

Watch the live draw here.