Week 1 of Philippines Kings League Spring 2025 saw Blacklist International dominate with a perfect record.
The Honor of Kings (HoK) Philippines Kings League (PKL) Spring 2025 has started with the eight of the best teams in the Philippines battling it out for three coveted slots in the Honor of Kings World Cup 2025. After the dust settled on the first week, one team stood on top with a stainless record: Blacklist International.
The Honor of Kings Invitational Season 3 semifinalists recorded two clean 2-0 series wins during Week 1. They beat A.C.T Esports Club and BOOM Esports, making them the only team in the PKL to have a perfect record. Their real test, however, will come in the second week, where they will play thrice. Chammy “Chammy1” Paul Nazarrea and his team will play against Team Flash PH, TNT Tropang Alab, and Eureka in the second week.
Here are the Honor of Kings Philipines Kings League Spring 2025 standings after the end of Week 1:
- Blacklist International (2-0) +4 Game difference (GF)
- Elevate (2-1) +3 GF
- RWE Kadiliman (2-0) +3 GF
- A.C.T Esports Club (2-1) +1 GF
- BOOM Esports (1-1) -1 GF
- Team Flash PH (1-2) -1 GF
- Eureka (0-2) -10 GF
- TNT Tropang Alab (0-3) -12 GF
Qualifier team RWE Kadiliman also sweep Week 1 matches
Aside from Blacklist International, RWE Kadiliman was the only other team that finished with a 2-0 score in Week 1. While their record wasn't clean after a 2-1 victory over Elevate, RWE Kadiliman proved that the closed qualifier teams weren't pushovers. In fact, they seem even more dangerous than the other partnered teams due to their experience from the playing in the qualifiers, as proved by their position in the league.
While they weren't a partnered team, Elevate was a quarterfinalist in the Honor of Kings Invitational Season 3. They proved their quality once more in the first week by taking down TNT Tropang Alab and Team Flash. Their only loss was to another closed qualifier team in RWE Kadiliman.
Rounding out the Top 4 was another closed qualifier team: the A.C.T Esports club. The Thai esports organisation fielded a mix of Thai and Filipino players that worked wonders. They successfully became the Honor of Kings Open Series Split 3 - Philippines champion before clinching a spot in the PKL from the qualifier. Their experience proved useful, as they mastered multiple types of compositions, such as a dive-heavy team with Liu Bang-Han Xin combination or a displacement-heavy team with Nu Wa, Arli, and Musashi.
With the closed qualifier team dominating the leaderboard, partnered teams will need to step up in the second week if they want to qualify for the playoffs, as two of the bottom-placed teams will be eliminated from the tournament.
The Honor of Kings PKL 2025 Spring 2025 will return with Week 2 on 25 April 2025. A.C.T Esports Club will face RWE Kadiliman in the opening series. Blacklist International will look to win thrice to solidify their position atop the leaderboard.
