A repeat of the M4 World Championship grand final would be the culmination of MPL PH Season 11 as Blacklist and ECHO went head-to-head.
headline image courtesy of MPL PH
The playoffs of the Mobile Legends Professional League Season 11 in the Philippines came to an intense end today, with an epic grand final between Blacklist International and ECHO. The two teams are no strangers to one another, having been the two challengers to reach the pinnacle of M4 – where ECHO became champions. Having had a marvellous upper bracket run, Blacklist was hoping to retain their crown as champions of PH, but ECHO was not a team to give up – something we witnessed when they withstood a lower bracket final over RSG Slate PH.
Game one was an unmistakably brutal showing from the Orcas, taking the fight to Blacklist right from the start and never allowing their opponents a moment to execute any strategy or even claim an objective. It took only 14-minutes for game one to end, as ECHO poked themselves out in front. Keeping their momentum, the “ECHO Express” rolled on forward into another swift victory in game two, as the series began to become a retelling of the M4 final between these two juggernauts.
Decoding the Agents was the name of the game for ECHO, and they managed to do it perfectly. Their extremely fast pace and the way in which they took the fight to Blacklist ensured that the Ultimate Bonding Experience could never come out. With a third game in the bag, ECHO seemed destined to become the champions of MPL PH Season 11.
Facing a swift defeat in the series, Blacklist found themselves backed into a corner after ECHO had completely dismantled them in three straight games. Even when Blacklist tried to get themselves out on the front foot, ECHO was always ready to shut it down, as they cemented themselves as the thorn in the side of Blacklist. The final game of the series was the fourth, as ECHO completed a fantastic and well-deserved stomping of Blacklist.
In an exact repeat of the M4 World Championship grand final, the Orcas completed a superb 4-0 sweep of Blacklist International, decoding the reigning champions and claiming the MPL PH Season 11 title. Even though they had lost, Blacklist will still be present at MSC 2023, with ECHO being the second representative from the Philippines.
