In just a few days the M3 World Championships will kick off and we are breaking down each group, looking at who will come out ahead.
From December 6, which is under a week away, the M3 World Championships will get underway, with a total of 16 teams from around the world fighting in the tournament. The teams, big and small, will be battling it out in the Land of Dawn for a chance to be crowned as the champions, and their share of a gigantic $800,000 prize pool. For Group C, we have quite a few underdogs, or teams that everyone is unsure of, as well as a MPL champion team, who are hoping to avoid major upsets early on.
Group C
EVOS SG
For Deletion
Natus Vincere
BloodThirstyKingsNorth America’s MLBB dream
Back in 2019, when the first ever MLBB World Championships took place, North America saw a squad enter the fray, hungry to make their mark on the mobile esports world. Unfortunately for Team GOSU, as they were known, they fell short in the group stages, eliminated without making any impact. While the M2 event did not feature a NA team, as it was held during a peak in the ongoing COVID pandemic, M3 made sure to give them another shot at glory. BloodThirstyKings, are easily seen as one of the best teams in their region and are looking to show that talent to the MLBB global community.
One of the advantages of the BTK roster, is that not very much is known about their players, or playstyle in general, meaning that they could have an upper hand over any opponents if they change things up from their qualifier run. Only one player from the team has any complete history, the Jungler, MobaZane – who was previously an Arena of Valor professional player. Whether or not the shrouded mystery of BTK will be enough to carry them into the upper bracket remains to be seen, but NA do have a way of never showing up when needed most.
NaVi chants ringing out across the lands
For anyone who has followed the esports scene for some time, one name is synonymous with the support of the community – Natus Vincere, otherwise known as NaVi. Although definitely not in mobile esports, the NaVi brand has garnered a gigantic following on a global basis, and now they are looking to take this into the Land of Dawn. Deus Vult were able to complete a fantastic path through the CIS qualifiers, booking their spot at M3 – but it was then that they were noticed, with Natus Vincere picking up the roster and ready to push into the mobile world.
With players and a coach that have participated at either M1 or M2, the NaVi roster seem to be looking to create a lot of chaos in Group C. With a team name that means, “Born to Win”, it is only fair to assume that with the backing of this organisation, this roster is set to dominate. Although, much like the BTK squad, we know very little about this team, meaning that they truly could be the enigma of their group.
The threat from Cambodia
Earlier this year we witnessed the Mobile Legends Southeast Asia Cup, or MSC 2021, take place, with some stellar action. One of the highlights, beyond the grand finals, was the way in which the Cambodian roster of Impunity KH performed, taking down some huge names in the scene. With the region getting its own domestic MPL tournament, we expected to see more of Impunity, but it was See You Soon who were the stand-out performers, taking a fantastic win as they marched into the M3 World Championships.
Their fantastic brand of organised aggression and their use of fighter heroes more than other regions is one of the reasons this team is to be feared. Another aspect of this is that after two MLBB World Championships with Impunity KH representing Cambodia, SYS were able to take them out of the running and now look to fly that flag high for their region. While it is possible to call this team a “dark horse” in M3, the fact that their strategies have been noted in their MPL KH regional tournament could lead to their downfall.
EVOS SG’s search for glory
Although they are methodical within their regional league, EVOS SG have constantly struggled to gain traction when it comes to the MLBB World Championships. Both M1 and M2 saw the Singaporean team eliminated either at the group stage mark, or in the first round of playoffs, respectively. That said, being champions of MPL SG for two seasons is nothing to ignore, and this could finally be the chance for EVOS SG to match their sister-squad’s victory at M1.
Following their victory at MPL SG Season 2, EVOS were considered to be one of the favourites to lift the MPL Invitational 2021 title – but in their first series they were extremely lackluster, being eliminated almost instantly eliminated. With that said, EVOS are never to be counted out, especially with two MPL SG championships under their belt. From their captain and jungler, Potato, as well as their brilliant gold laner, Adammir, EVOS should be set to take themselves straight into the upper bracket.
Group C is possibly going to be our favourite group to watch, with basically four teams that have a massive chance to cause an upset when it comes to both the group stage and playoffs, no matter if they are in the upper and lower bracket. Whether the NaVi chants will ring out through the stadium, or if the crowd will show some love for BTK, Group C is easily one of the most interesting ones at M3.
Group B schedule
With all group stage games being a best-of-one, every Group C match will be played on December 8, which is Day 3 of proceedings at the M3 World Championships.
- EVOS SG versus See You Soon
- Natus Vincere versus BloodThirstyKings
- EVOS SG versus BloodThirstyKings
- See You Soon versus Natus Vincere
- EVOS SG versus Natus Vincere
- See You Soon versus BloodThirstyKings
