From twelve teams we were down to the final two at MSC 2023, as Blacklist International and ONIC Esports battled it out for the title.
A rivalry that has been around for quite some time within Mobile Legends: Bang Bang is between the Philippines and Indonesia. With PH having taken control of the MLBB competitive scene for some time, ID was looking to place itself in contention through MSC 2023. A grand final between Blacklist and ONIC would see the latter have their chance to do so and claim revenge for the M3 World Championship grand finals – where it was Blacklist who swept through the Yellow Porcupines without any answer.
ONIC walked into the Land of Dawn with a 25-game win streak, having not dropped a game since Week 5 of MPL ID Season 11. Utilising a split-push strategy, the champions of ID continued to grow that streak, building it up to 27 with two decisive victories, leaving Blacklist to rethink their strategy. Remaining calm and collected, Blacklist finally found their opening to come into the series, bringing the series to 2-1.
But, bouncing back from their loss and the small mistakes they made in the previous game, ONIC was able to absolutely dismantle their opponents, with Kairi’s Fanny being far too much to deal with. With championship point for ONIC, the M3 World Champions needed something to go their way, and they managed to find exactly that, with Edward’s early game domination and OhMyV33nus sniping down enemies from afar.
Still, down 3-2, the PH squad had a lot of work to do to reach game seven and have a chance at the reverse sweep victory. Giving Kairi the Fanny again was their first mistake, with their second being picking the Wanwan – a hero who had not faired well in the grand finals at all. It was a brutal game for Blacklist, as ONIC tore them apart, with Kairi destroying Owl at every possible chance.
While Blacklist International do not get to complete their crown with an MSC victory, ONIC Esports become the first team to win the tournament on multiple occasions, as they become the champions of MSC 2023 with a 4-2 grand finals victory.
