Early upset as 6th seeded Blacklist sweeps 3rd seeded Smart Omega out of MPL PH Playoffs

Blacklist delivered an early MPL Philippines playoff "lason". MPL Philippines

By Ivan Saldajeno

MAKATI—Right at the very first match of the MPL Philippines Playoffs, a major shocker ensued.

Third-seeded Smart Omega became the first team to be eliminated from postseason play after sixth-seeded Blacklist International scored a stunning 3-0 sweep in the first-round battle on Wednesday at the Green Sun Hotel Ballroom.

Smart Omega could not sustain a solid start in Game 1 even as the club blew their chances to stay alive in the series after seemingly taking control of the late game in Game 3.

Game 1 saw unconventional picks with Jayson Alupit picking Angela at the middle lane, Andrew Flora selecting Alice at the jungle, and Jomari Pingol drafting Miya, who despite really being a legit gold lane hero has been rarely picked this season.

Smart Omega thought they broke through quickly after going 3-0 up, but with Kiel Soriano getting the better of Pingol at the gold lane as Moscov, Blacklist quickly bounced back and stole the opening game.

Blacklist then brought back its signature "UBE strategy" in Game 2, and despite a mid-game struggle, the club secured the late-game brilliance to go 2-0 up.

Smart Omega had a chance to stay alive as they held a huge mid-game lead in Game 3, but Salic Imam exposed their plan in securing the Lord by dropping his Hailstone Blast on the heroes inside the middle lane bush, forcing the team to commit to a team fight just to zone Blacklist out.

While Flora secured the Lord, Smart Omega lost three heroes in the clash, and with only two players to defend the opposing base, Blacklist went all-in on one last push to finish off Smart Omega.

From being on the brink of bombing out in the regular season, Blacklist is now assured of at least a Top 4 finish with a showdown against reigning world champion Falcons AP.Bren up next for them in the upper bracket semifinals on Thursday night.

On the other hand, from getting so close to securing a first-round bye, Smart Omega crashed out after the Round of 6.

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