Image: MOONTON Games
Fnatic ONIC PH and Team Liquid ID are set for a rematch in the upper bracket finals of the M6 World Championship.
The action-packed second day of the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) M6 World Championship Knockout stage saw Fnatic ONIC PH and Team Liquid ID advance to the upper bracket finals after defeating Falcon Esports and RRQ Hoshi, respectively, in the upper bracket semifinals.
With the competition moving to Axiata Arena, two powerhouses from the Philippines and Indonesia once again find themselves in the Top 3 and in prime position for a grand finals spot. But the road remains open for Falcon Esports and RRQ Hoshi despite their losses, though they are set to face uphill battles in the lower bracket.
Here's how all the action in the upper bracket semifinals of the M6 World Championship Knockout Stage went down:
Fnatic ONIC PH, Team Liquid ID advance to upper bracket finals
The first series of the day was a showdown between Falcon Esports and Fnatic ONIC PH, a true David-versus-Goliath confrontation. The two teams were the antithesis of each other, with Fnatic ONIC PH being a decorated powerhouse from one of the biggest MLBB Professional Leagues (MPL) in the scene while Falcon Esports were a rookie squad from a region that doesn't even have its own MPL.
Fnatic ONIC PH drafted a really tanky lineup for the first game of the series with Fredrinn and Faramis. Moreover, they also picked Irithel to form an extremely snowball-centric lineup. Falcon Esports countered by picking Karrie – a hero that needed a lot of farm to come online. The MPL Philippines champions didn’t take any chances with their opponents' draft, ending game one with a blink-and-you-miss-it moment within 11 minutes.
The second game was not much different, though it did last longer. Falcon Esports couldn’t disrupt the disciplined Fnatic ONIC PH squad as they executed their game plan of prolonging the game until their Claude came online. However, Fnatic ONIC PH's plan did have a little bit of adjustment as they took the early lead and diminished the presence of the opposing Suyou and Faramis. Ultimately, Fnatic ONIC PH simply outclassed Falcon Esports to take a commanding 2-0 series lead.
Those last two losses were enough to awaken Falcon Esports, as they had a very clear plan in game three to halt their opponents' momentum. Fnatic ONIC PH tried to throw a wrench into their enemy's plan with a Yu Zhong pick, which did work at first. However, a crucial Guiding Wind by Yehtet “KidX” Sithu saved their carry from the Yu Zhong in a Lord team fight. That one mistake from Fnatic ONIC PH was the only thing Falcon Esports needed to get back into the series.
Game four looked very similar to game two, as Fnatic ONIC PH tried another way to unlock solve Falcon Esports with a surprise Akai pick. However, that only served to give the Filipino squad a slight lead early on before Falcon Esports took over. Even when their opponents got a slight opening, Falcon Esports stabilised and eventually forced the series to a deciding fifth game in just under 18 minutes of action.
With a spot in the Top 3 on the line in game five, both Fnatic ONIC PH and Falcon Esports pulled out their aces. Fnatic ONIC PH relied on Joy, Irithel, and Hilda while Falcon Esports picked Kaung “Daxx” Sett’s signature Hayabusa.
While fans hoped for a highly competitive decider, King “K1ngkong” Perez had other plans as he ensured Fnatic ONIC PH got the victory everyone expected. The Filipino jungler's impact was felt all around the map as he participated in seven out of his team's eight kills in the first 10 minutes with his Joy, giving his team control of the early-to-mid game. And that lead was enough for Fnatic ONIC PH to finally secure the 3-2 series victory over Falcon Esports after an action-packed 18 minutes.
The second and final series of the day was a rematch of the MPL Indonesia Season 14 grand finals between Team Liquid ID and RRQ Hoshi, where the former notably got the win. The two teams had widely different journeys in the Swiss Stage, with RRQ Hoshi becoming the first team to qualify for the Knockout Stage while Team Liquid ID had to go through all five rounds of the Swiss Stage to qualify.
The first game was a battle of coaches as RRQ Hoshi's Alfi "Khezcute" Nelphyana and Dolly "SaintDeLucaz" Pelo looked to one-up each other in the draft phase. A Phoveus ban by SaintDeLucaz opened a Harith pick for Sultan “AeronnShikii” Muhammad, while a lack of crowd control meant Khezcute could grab Claude for Schevenko David “Skylar” Tendean.
However, it all came down to execution as Christian “Widy” Hartono and Favian “Faviannn” Putra formed a formidable ganking duo to pressure RRQ Hoshi and Skylar. In the end, Team Liquid ID secured their first win of the series in 14 minutes.
In game two, RRQ Hoshi took a much more aggressive stance with three frontliners in Fredrinn, Benedetta, and Ruby. To counter this, SaintDeLucaz chose a poke composition with Granger and a pocket Novaria pick for Yehezkiel “Yehezkiel” Wiseman.
Again, Team Liquid ID had the advantage from the draft alone, as no one RRQ could touch the cavalry’s midlaner. While Rendy “Dyrennn” Syahputra’s mobility worked in RRQ Hoshi’s favour, the lack of burst to take down Yehezkiel made it a futile attempt in the end. Team Liquid ID cruised to a commanding 2-0 series lead after 22 minutes.
RRQ Hoshi returned to their usual routine for the third game, which focused on enabling Skylar and letting him take over the game. To set this up, they picked Belerick to counter Joy’s dive, Yve to give them crowd control, Phoveus to lock down any dash-reliant heroes, and Suyou to finish off any weakened enemies. Skylar's Granger made quick work of Team Liquid ID with a hail of bullets from Rhapsody and Death Sonata once he completed the Sky Piercer and Blade of Destruction, giving his team their first win after 12 minutes.
RRQ Hoshi's game three win gave them the momentum heading into game four. This time, Skylar had to dig deep into his collection of Gold Lane heroes as Bruno, Wanwan, Granger, and Irithel were all robbed from him. He found the answer in Beatrix, but when Team Liquid ID focused their attention on the veteran, rookie Hajirin “Rinz” Arafat's Aurora had its turn in the spotlight. Rinz would record a 100% kill participation and zero deaths to his name to help RRQ Hoshi force the series to a deciding game five.
Both teams threw everything they had in game five to secure an upper bracket finals appearance in Axiata Arena, with RRQ Hoshi let Sutsujin pick his signature Ling while Team Liquid ID bet everything on Yehezkiel’s Lylia.
For the majority of the game, Team Liquid ID had control with Yehezkiel defying death multiple times from Sutsujin's relentless aggression. RRQ Hoshi showed their fans a glimpse of hope when they finally took down the enemy Lylia, but by that point, it was Aeronnshikii who became the biggest threat. And after a 24-minute thriller, Team Liquid ID prevailed over RRQ Hoshi once again and secured an upper bracket finals confrontation with Fnatic ONIC PH.
Day three of the M6 World Championship Knockout Stage will feature the first round of the lower bracket, with the winners progressing further to face Falcon Esports and RRQ Hoshi in the second round while the loser will get eliminated from the tournament. Here are the matchups for day three of the Knockout Stage:
- Selangor Red Giants vs NIP Flash
- Team Vamos vs Team Spirit
Which team will progress further and prolong their life in the M6 World Championship lower bracket?
The M6 World Championship will take place from November 21 to December 15 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and is split into three distinct phases: the Wildcard Stage from November 21 to 24, the Swiss Stage from November 28 to December 5, and the Knockout Stage from December 7 to 15.
Sixteen teams have qualified for the Swiss Stage after a gruelling Wildcard Stage. All participants will fight for their lives in the tournament, as only eight slots are open for the Knockout Stage. For everything you need to know about the M6 World Championship, check here.