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| Screencap from Mobile Legends Esports |
by Drew Malihan
MANILA - ONIC Esports, already has two MPL titles this year and an MSC title at their helm. Only one more trophy, the M5 World Championship, is left for them to clinch the first-ever MLBB Grand Slam.
However, AP.Bren has other ideas in their mind.
The Filipino side averts a 3-1 series comeback from the Indonesian champions, clinching the world championship Sunday inside the Rizal Memorial Coliseum, four games to three.
It was history etched for the Bees, becoming the only team in MLBB history to win the M-Series twice, with the first one being the M2 in Singapore, where they also went the distance, 4-3, against Burmese Ghouls.
The Bees started the series with a win in Game 1 with Kyle "KyleTzy" Sayson, Rowgien "Owgwen" Unigo, and David "FlapTzy" Canon had perfect games, contibuting to all seven of AP.Bren kills and ending the game in 14 minutes.
Gilang "SANZ" went god mode in the second game, tallying 4/0/10 in the 22-minute game while Kairi "Kairi" Rayosdelsol has a field day, getting all four lords for ONIC.
AP.Bren gave themselves a comfortable 3-1 lead thanks to Angelo "Pheww" Arcangel's 4/0/5 play with the Gord in Game 3, and KyleTzy's 2/1/9 Akai performance, contributing to all AP.Bren kill scores in Game 4 while finishing both games in under 15 minutes.
SANZ's Novaria was unkillable in Game 5, catapulting ONIC Esports to fight back with 4/0/9 KDA in the 27 minute game that went down to the last team fight, while Calvin "CW" Winata's Claude's 9/1/8 MVP performance with the Claude, capping it off with an ONIC four-man knockout of AP.Bren in the base.
With the series tied at 3-3, FlapTzy's Khaleed and Marco "Super Marco" Requitiano's Brody did the dirty work for the Filipino side, with the Bees consistently targeting SANZ and Nicky "Kiboy" Fernando, who fielded both mages in an Yve and a roam Kadita.
AP.Bren's snowball paid off from the mid game, with the more squishy ONIC lineup being forced to back off with a stun-heavy Hive five, eventually leading to a clash in ONIC's purple buff pit that saw Kairi and SANZ down the count and the rest of the Indonesians defending to no avail.
FlapTzy was named the Final's MVP of the series, being the first EXP laner to do so in the M-Series, while him, Pheww, and Coach Francis "Ducky" Glindro getting their second M-Series medal, following former teammate Karl "KarlTzy" Nepomuceno's triumph in M4.
The Bees was also hailed as the first team to win the M-Series in their home territory, while also assuring the Filipino MLBB scene their fourth straight M-Series trophy.
ONIC's dominant run came to a screeching halt, with the Bees breaking their 16-series win streak, dating back to August this year in MPL Indonesia.
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