Champions of Indonesia and Champions of the Philippines – ONIC Esports and ECHO battled it out for a spot in the grand finals of MSC 2023.
headline photo courtesy of Moonton Games
Having seen Blacklist International claim their spot in the Mobile Legends Southeast Asia Cup grand finals, ECHO was now ready to go in search of their victory. However, even the world champions of M4 had to face tough challenges, and ONIC Esports would be standing in their path. Having not lost a single game yet in MSC 2023, the Indonesians were never going to be a pushover – and would do anything to stop the PH versus PH grand finals from being an occurrence.
It was clear from the first game of the series that it was ONIC TIME, as the MPL ID reigning champions completely rolled over ECHO. Punishing Karltzy and keeping Bennyqt in check meant that ONIC had no major problems in securing the series lead. With their foot now placed firmly on the gas, they continued to shine, destroying the Orcas at every turn – claiming match point and hoping to keep their current unbeaten streak intact.
With their backs against the wall and elimination on the cards, ECHO looked far better in game three, gaining an early lead and controlling objectives. However, the porcupines came right back at them, finding their footing during the mid-game mark, and making it a much less one-sided game. It was a 40-minute brawl between these two MLBB giants, with both teams going back and forth, but neither was able to make any major impact – up until Kiboy found the opening. In one swift move, ONIC wiped out the Orcas from the Land of Dawn, and with 90-second death-timers, everything was over.
A fantastic series between two championship teams comes to an end with ECHO moving into the third/fourth place playoff, having only really shown up in game three. For ONIC Esports, they take their spot against Blacklist in the grand finals of MSC 2023 which will take place on Sunday, June 18.
