Day 2 of playoffs at MPL PH Season 11 kicked off with one of the best series which we could witness as Bren Esports went up against Blacklist International.
headline photo courtesy of MPL PH
Blacklist International may have been having a weaker season at the Mobile Legends Professional League’s eleventh season in the Philippines, missing their star mid-lane player, Hadji. With that said, even after missing out on the top two seeding in the Regular Season, the reigning champions had already survived the first-round elimination series against Smart Omega Esports – but their next challenge was monumental. Having dropped very few series during the Regular Season, Bren Esports were on the rise, and they were looking to return to the pinnacle of PH.
Blacklist beatdown on Bren
Having not won a single game against Bren during the Regular Season, Blacklist were hoping to finally have re-worked their customary Ultimate Bonding Experience (UBE) to take down a team which were almost entirely unstoppable. Going into the series, the famed Estes came out from OhMyV33nus, alongside the more niche picks such as Fredrinn and Yve, and a Gloo to hold it all together.
Whether it was the fact that they had not properly played in over two weeks, or just the brilliance of the Agents, Bren seemed to struggle to find their footing initially, dropping game one. However, game two was one of the most intense brawls between two teams which were devastatingly amazing at the game – but when the dust settled, Blacklist were still on top, with match point in their favour.
After witnessing two clean sweeps on Day 1 of the playoffs, Bren ensured that we would not have the same occur today, with a fantastic game three, showcasing the team we saw earlier in the season. Although it was nothing compared to the intensity of the previous game, Bren dominated from start to finish, finally making a stand in the series.
Unfortunately for Bren, that would be their final stand in the upper bracket, as Blacklist took an emphatic victory in the next game, taking the series 3-1 in the end. For Blacklist, this means that they will see the Upper Bracket Finals as their next challenge, while Bren will now need to face the lower bracket – and possible elimination.
