Blacklist Int'l exacts revenge vs. Omega, secures M3, MPL PH finals slots

Blacklist International

By Drew Malihan

MANILA--The code-breakers have been de-crypted.

Blacklist International exacted their revenge of their own as they dealt a 3-1 series win against rivals Smart Omega in the lower bracket finals on Sunday.

A last gasp effort from the Blacklist quintet was enough as they capitalized on an outplay against their rivals after the second lord spawn to keep their title defense alive.

Omega went for a core Natan and a sidelane combo of X.Borg and Aldous to go with Yve and Jawhead while Blacklist International fielded a jungle Barats and OhMyV33nus' comfort Rafaela along with Chou, Yu Zhong, and Alice.

The Smart-backed side found themselves on the receiving end of the Blacklist's early game to mid game as Blacklist went to capitalize on their early game potential including mid game buffs from Hadji, Edward, and even Wise.

Omega's potential fightbacks were negated as Blacklist's crowd control skills were enough to neutralize Omega's mobility, while focusing on negating Kelra's Aldous.

From there, it was all Blacklist as they activated their AOE damages as well as their CCs with one final clash in the bottom lane, bursting down Kelra, E2MAX, and Raizen and went straight to the base for a 1-0 series lead, led by Hadji's 3/2/6 with the Chou.

Blacklist went into the second game with Barats in the side along with Alice, Yi Sun-shin, roming Mathilda, and a Pos4 Hadji with Yve, while Omega drafted a core Balmond, Claude, Esmeralda, Chou, and a surprise Kadita pull off.

Omega began the second game well thanks to Kelra's Claude's burst capability but Blacklist's two-man midlane combo of OhMyV33nus and Hadji began controlling the mid-game map as towers started to fall against Omega's favor.

Blacklist International's burst capability clicked to enter the late game as they grabbed their objectives, taking the third turtle and the crucial lord take that costed four heroes in the process, and with Oheb's Alice chasing Kelra's Claude, spelled a 2-0 advantage for Blacklist.

OhMyV33nus took the MVP nod with the 1/1/11 KD with the roaming Mathilda with the Dominance Ice priority.

Blacklist went to a triple marksman combo with Natan, Yi Sun-shin, and a support Popol and Kupa with Paquito and Chou, while Omega went to a Raizen Aldous and a E2MAX Phoveus with Alice, roaming Estes, and Barats.

It was a toe-to-toe battle for the two contenders but OhMyV33nus and company went in for crucial pick offs and teamfights to gain advantage, including a solo kill of Oheb to Kelra and crucial pickoffs by Hadji that resulted in three Omega members down for the count.

However, a lord contest by Blacklist International proved to be fatal as E2MAX clicked with the Demonic Force, Kelra's Blood Ode, and Raizen's Chase Fade turned the tables and caught Blacklist on the choke point leading to four instant kills.

Wise, who was left alone to defend, fell to the hands of all five Omega players who wasted no time taking down the base and forcing a fourth game, with E2MAX's Phoveus' 3/3/7 leading the Omega charge.

Blacklist went for Natan, Yi Sun-shin, Chou, Yve, and Thamus for the fourth game while Omega fielded Alice, Selena, Paquito, Barats, and Grock.

E2MAX once again made wonders now in the early game as E2MAX's accurate Selena's Abyssal Arrow that caught several Blacklist heroes, mostly Hadji.

However, a crucial fight in the mid lane proved to be costly for Omega as they all fall down with Wise's crucial last gasp knockdown on Ch4knu's Grock to give space for the lord and overtake Omega in the economy game.

Omega weathered the storm as they took Wise and Hadji as the lord also fell down but at the expense of the midlane inhibitor turret.

A second lord take by Blacklist International provided the opening needed by the defending champions, and as despite Kelra's surprise pop-up of the Blood Ode to took down Oheb and OhMyV33nus, was bursted down as well as Ch4knu.

With the late-game timers on, it was all Blacklist International as the rest of the Omega side were burst down with all their Immortality items inactive as the former grabbed a tower lock and called GG with a 3-1 lead with Hadji's 0/5/10 performance.

With the win, Blacklist will proceed for a best-of-seven series against a familiar face in ONIC Philippines, as well as the second Filipino ticket to the M3 World Championships.

Follow him on Twitter: @drewmalihan