Omega Esports beat defending champions Blacklist International via a 3-1 shocker. Courtesy: MPL Philippines
MANILA - Omega Esports on Friday stunned Blacklist International in their Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League playoff clash with a 3-1 victory, sending the top-seeded squad to the lower bracket and on the brink of elimination.
The win sent Omega Esports to the upper bracket finals where they will duke it out with Onic Philippines for the first slot in the Grand Finals.
Blacklist dominated Game 1 in a 17-minute match.
Regular season MVP Salic "Hadji" Imam was on fire with his Claude to start Game 2, but it was Omega's "four protect one" strat that delivered, giving Dean Christian "Raizen" Sumagui's Lancelot room to slice and dice, taking the MVP recognition with him behind a 9/1/3 kill-death-assist record.
Game 3 seemed like Blacklist's game to win, with the defending champs amassing a 22-11 kill lead over their rivals.
But Patrick "E2MAX" Caidic's takedown of a lord-slaying Danerie James "Wise" Del Rosario's Balmond with his Rafaela set an opening for a lord steal, a triple kill, and the base takedown to bring the kings of Southeast Asia to match point.
Game 3 seemed like the same song, as Blacklist amassed a good kill and gold lead, but it took another lord clash for Smart Omega to grab the insurance and sink the defending champs down the lower bracket.
Blacklist will have to win their clash against Nexplay EVOS at 3 p.m. Saturday to survive the series and keep their title defense alive.
Blacklist International, Mobile Legends, MPL, Mobile Legends Professional League