MANILA - Emotional floodgates opened for the members of the Blacklist squad as they celebrated their hard-fought 4-1 win against Onic Philippines in the Season 8 Grand Finals, Sunday evening.

Head coach Kristoffer "Bon Chan" Ricaplaza told reporters they couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with the win.

"Isang beses nga lang mahirap na. Sobrang rare, sobrang dalang na mangyari ang ganito so hindi namin maipaliwanag kundi maluha na lang kasi sa sobrang saya," Bon Chan said in a post-match press conference immediately after their win.

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The last time a team took home back-to-back championships in the MPL was Sunsparks in Seasons 4 and 5.

Right after their win, Bon Chan said in the livestream that he hopes his players get the respect they deserve after getting back-to-back titles.

"Sobrang napakaimportante ng championship na ito dahil mahihirapan kaming makuha ang respect na deserve ng mga players ko, at respect na deserve namin. Ito na yon, ito na 'yong senyales na ibigay ang aming respect," Bon Chan said.

For Danerie "Wise" Del Rosario, who was seen sobbing with joy after the match, it was a matter of pride and proving doubters wrong with his hero picks anew.

"Kasi napatunayan ko nanaman sa sarili ko na kahit hindi ko nag-a-assasin nagcha-champion ako. Hindi lang once kundi twice," he said.

Wise used fighter octopus Bane and his signature Aldous - all non-assasins in most of Blacklist fights against Onic.

Blacklist said they will spend the night celebrating their win and go on a vacation in an undisclosed location, before their next quest: to hunt for the world championship title later this year.