MANILA - The MPL playoff campaign will be a tough hill to climb for reigning world champions Blacklist International, as they gear up for tougher competition.

For Kristoffer "Bon Chan" Ricaplaza, however, this is a good challenge, and they look to make a statement by dominating the playoffs which will start mid-October.

"Expectation namin ay, mahihirapan kami, honestly, dahil ang lalakas ng teams ngayon pero ang maganda doon hindi namin alam kung sino ang nasa upper at nasa lower bracket pero isang magandang challenge iyon sa'min kapag pagdating ng playoffs ma-dominate namin, despite na malalakas ang teams, talagang statement 'yon," Bon Chan told reporters after winning against Onic PH on Friday.

After only conceding a total of 2 matches in the regular season in Season 7 and Season 8, with V33wise in the lineup, they conceded a total of 4 matches in Season 10 en route to playoff qualification, as of writing.

The current regular season saw Blacklist, Echo, Omega, and Onic Philippines swap places for the first spot as competition ran tight.

The win against Onic saw Blacklist bounce back from a two-game slide, on top of dropping to the last chance qualifiers of the International Esports Federation world championships.

Absorbing tough losses like this meant they had to regroup and resolve communication issues in the squad, said Johnmar "OhMyV33nus" Villaluna.

With the playoff secured, Blacklist will now try and secure the upper bracket slot for the twice-to-beat advantage.

"Nagusap-usap kami. Communication talaga 'yong ano. With the help of the management, kay Boss Rada, sa cooperation ng players and ng coaches na-solve namin 'yung mga napagdaanan naming struggle. Hopefully magtuloy-tuloy ito hanggang playoffs and hanggang makuha namin ang upper bracket spot," she said.

Blacklist will have to face Echo Philippines, and RSG Philippines to close out the regular season, which ends October 2.