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MPL Philippines
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League Philippines, known as MPL Philippines or simply MPL-PH, is a professional Esports league for the game Mobile Legends: Bang Bang in the Philippines. MPL Philippines is the direct route of qualified teams to both the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang World Championship and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Mid Season Cup. MPL Philippines currently follows a franchise-based system,[1] wherein eight teams are currently competing as and officially removing local team qualifiers, previously evident during MPL Philippines Season 7.[2] Established in 2018, there have been six teams that have won the championship title of MPL Philippines,[3] with two teams being back-to-back champions in Sunsparks[4] and Blacklist International.[5] Four of the eight teams from MPL-PH have as well won the World Championship title: AP Bren in M2 and M5, Blacklist International for M3 and ECHO Philippines for M4, Onic Philippines in M6. MPL Philippines has a "split" season system wherein a year is split into two seasons.[6] Along with MPL Indonesia, MPL Philippines has been considered as one of the strongest regions for MLBB players and teams. As of 2024, four MPL PH teams have won the MLBB World Title with AP Bren winning the title twice, the only organization to do so. Moreover, the Philippines holds three of the seven MSC titles and three of the SEA Games Esports Gold Medals. HistoryAether Main-Bren Esports dominance (2018–2019)MPL Philippines launched as one of the first Professional leagues in the entire world, the other being MPL Indonesia. MPL Philippines started with teams qualifying through regional tournaments and others being invited to compete. The first season of MPL Philippines featured ten different teams, all qualifying through three different qualifiers organized by Moonton and Mineski Philippines. The first season of MPL Philippines ran from May to July 2018 where the top two teams would qualify for the second edition of the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Southeast Asia Cup in Indonesia. Aether Main, under the stewardship of Setsuna "AkoSi Dogie" Ignacio as its team manager and owner, were crowned inaugural champions of MPL Philippines, defeating Digital Devils Pro in the Grand Finals in a 3–0 sweep. "DD", which the team was known for, had the services of one of the biggest internet personalities for Mobile Legends in the country, Billy "Z4pnu" Alfonso.[7][8] First MSC Title (2018)Both Aether Main and Digital Devils Pro qualified for the second edition of the MSC tournament in Indonesia. This was the first tournament that was domestically renowned in the country due to the Philippines' utter dominance in the competition. An all-out Filipino finals was staged in the tournament which sealed the MSC title into the Philippines' possession. Aether Main were crowned as the second MSC Cup champions after defeating DD in another 3–0 sweep. Aether Main 2–1 Aerowolf Roxy while Digital Devils Pro 2–0 RRQ Hoshi, two indonesian organizations.[9] The second season of MPL Philippines was held from October 2018 to January 2019 and was competed by ten different teams. Several teams underwent continual rebranding efforts while others qualified through the qualifiers. The championship roster of Aether Main was acquired by Bernard Chong, the CEO of Bren Esports while a new roster fueled Aether Main whom qualified from the third qualifying tournament.[10] Aether Main's roster played under the name "Aether Main" during the MSC 2018 competition despite being under the Bren Esports organization. Cignal Ultra won the second iteration of MPL Philippines after defeating Bren Esports and the then-outgoing championship roster in the Finals 3 games to 1.[11] At the time, the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang World Championships were not held until the fourth season of MPL Philippines. SunSparks-ONIC Philippines dominance (2020–2021)The third season of MPL Philippines showcased six teams that qualified from the previous season's playoffs while four teams qualifying through a closed qualifier.[12] Certain organizations including EVOS Esports entered the MLBB Philippines scene, entering the third season by acquiring the roster of SxC Imbalance who finished fourth in the playoffs of the previous season.[13] The third season showcased the third-consecutive single round robin tournament format with Bren Esports for the second-consecutive season topping the regular season table with an 8–1; 17–7 record. Bren Esports would seemingly fall to the qualifier team ArkAngel who has the services of outgoing RSG Philippines head coach Brian "Coach Panda" Chang-rok as the head coach.[14] The third season of the Southeast Asian Cup was held in the Philippines for the first time but Bren Esports, although managing to qualify after a 2–0 victory over Team Resolution, lost to the Vietnamese-squad Overclockers 2–0. Meanwhile, ArkAngel felt a similar fate when the team got swept by Indonesian team Louvre Esports. MSC 2019 is the only competition thus far to not showcase a Filipino team in an international Grand Finals.[15] The fourth season of MPL Philippines saw the entry of the Indonesian champions ONIC Esports to the Philippines with ONIC Philippines starting to compete during this season. Teams such as Cignal Ultra, Bren Esports, EVOS Esports PH, SGD Omega, Execration, Ownage and defending champions ArkAngel returned as the playoff qualifiers meanwhile ONIC Philippines, Geek Fam Philippines, and SunSparks qualified through the closed qualifier tournament. Both qualifier teams in ONIC Philippines and SunSparks topped the regular season board with a tied 8-1 record. Both teams faced off against each other in the Grand Finals and the synonymous "Isang One Hit Nalang" line[16] trended due to the low HP levels of SunSparks' base which can be destroyed with just one hit to give ONIC Philippines the championship. However, due to a cannon minion push at the top lane, the series was tied 2 games a piece with SunSparks ultimately winning the Season 4 title.[17] Both SunSparks and ONIC Philippines represented the Philippines in the first MLBB M1 World Championships[18] which saw many Southeast and East Asian countries participating in the annual event. However, both teams would find themselves in timely departures from the world championship where ONIC Philippines got dropped in the Group Stage and SunSparks not breaking into the Top 4. This is the only time that a Filipino team has not appeared nor placed in a Top 4 standings in the world championships.[19] Covid-19 Pandemic and first back-to-back championsIn 2020, the Covid-19 Pandemic made in-person meetups, events and tournaments difficult due to the continuous declaration of lockdowns in the Philippines. MPL Philippines' fifth season transitioned into an online tournament with many of the teams remaining in their respective boot camps. Another ten set of teams competed in MPL Philippines Season 5 including the entry of Blacklist International and the qualification of BSB, ULVL, and STI e-Olympians. Both SunSparks and Bren Esports had equally the best record in the tournament with a 8–1 record to cap the regular season off. However, it was ONIC Philippines who won the Lower Bracket Finals that qualified them for the Grand Finals. Initially, both SunSparks and ONIC Philippines would qualify for MSC 2020, but the tournament was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.[20] SunSparks became the first back-to-back champions of MPL Philippines, defeating ONIC Philippines 3 games to 1.[21] First World TitleThe sixth season of MPL Philippines featured a different set of ten teams that were divided into two groups of five, beginning the first double-round robin tournament in MPL Philippines history. Teams such as ULVL, STI e-Olympians and Geek Fam Philippines were either eliminated from contention or forfeited their slot. SunSparks' roster was acquired by AURA Esports which rebranded the team to Aura Philippines. Bren Esports had the best record in the regular season with a 12-1 match record and a 24-4 game record. Bren breezed through the playoffs, sweeping both Nexplay Solid and ONIC Philippines in their way to the Grand Finals and qualifying for the M2 World Championships. In the finals, Bren secured its first title in MPL Philippines' history after defeating Smart Omega 4-2.[22] Both Bren Esports and Smart Omega would make their first international appearance at the M2 World Championships in Singapore. All though this tournament was to be held in an in-person event at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore, the tournament remains held online. Bren Esports became the second world champions for MLBB after defeating Myanmar's representatives Burmese Ghouls in the Grand Finals after going down 3 games to 2, winning two-straight to bring the Philippines its first of three world titles.[23] Blacklist International Era (2021–2022)Blacklist International would dominate MPL Philippines Season 7, winning 12 games and surpassing Bren Esports' previous season record of 24-4 to a 25-7 game record. Blacklist International fended a near-perfect comeback by the defending world champions Bren Esports and denied Aura Philippines (formerly SunSparks roster) to qualify for MSC 2021. Blacklist International would face Execration in the Grand Finals which looked to be as a David vs. Goliath situation. Execration finished as the third seed for Group B, having a three-way tie with Smart Omega and Nexplay Solid, however, Execration made an arduous crawl to the Grand Finals, going three-straight Game 5 victories against ONIC Philippines,[24] Smart Omega[25] and Bren Esports,[26] in that order. They swept Aura Philippines to clinch the second MSC slot for the Philippines.[27] Initially, Blacklist International fell to a 3–1 deficit due to unexpected roster picks and mishaps that prevented them from performing at their max level, even suffering an 11-minute loss to Execration in Game 2. However, Blacklist International rallied to win three-straight games and became the Season 7 champions, the first of three MPL titles for the organization and the first title for the dubbed "Royal Duo" of Johnmar "OhMyV33Nus" Villaluna and Danerie James "Wise" Del Rosario.[28] Second MPL TitleBoth Blacklist International and Execration qualified for MSC 2021 as the two representatives of the Philippines following its reintroduction after its previous iteration was abruptly cancelled. Similarly to 2018, MSC 2021 showcased another all Filipino vs. Filipino Grand Finals and it was the last one of its likes in MSC with the proceeding tournament results being Philippines vs. Indonesia. Execration would get its revenge against Blacklist International and managed to finish the series 4 games to 1.[29][30] Blacklist International would become the first back-to-back champions of MPL Philippines since SunSparks. Blacklist International won 13 games and losing only 1 game during the regular season of MPL Philippines Season 8.[31] Blacklist did suffer a 3–1 defeat in the Upper Bracket Semifinals to Smart Omega[32] whom acquired the roster from Execration.[33] Blacklist would return the favor in the Lower Bracket Finals following the return of Kiel "Oheb" Soriano from his abrupt suspension that gave them back-to-back Finals appearances.[34][35] Blacklist International dismantled ONIC Philippines in the Grand Finals, winning the series 4 games to 1 that secured them their second-straight MPL title.[36] Second World TitleBoth Blacklist International and ONIC Philippines were incoming favorites for the MLBB M3 World Championship to be held again in Singapore. Both teams started the group stage strong, qualifying both in the Upper Brackets of the tournament as the first seed for their respective groups. Blacklist International however, would suffer an shocking 3–2 defeat to North American team BloodThirstyKings, commonly referred to as "BTK" in the Upper Bracket First Round.[37] ONIC Philippines meanwhile, steamed rolled through the upper brackets, both defeating RSG Singapore,[38] RRQ Hoshi[39] and the aforementioned BTK.[40] Prior to the series match, the infamous "Weaker team" statement also became mainstream from the words of BTK star and Jungler Michael "MobaZane" Cosgun who he believed that ONIC Philippines would be a weaker team than Blacklist.[41] Blacklist International meanwhile, crawled through the Lower Bracket Stage, narrowly edging out an early elimination from ONIC Esports,[42] sweeping Brazil's Keyd Stars[43] and Indonesia's RRQ Hoshi,[44] sweeping EVOS Singapore[45] to matchup BTK in the Lower Bracket Finals. The team would drop Game 3 to make the series a four-game series but the team sent the BTK underdogs home 3 games to 1.[46] Blacklist International won its first world championship title, sweeping ONIC Philippines whom had the services of stars Kairi "Kairi" Rayosdelsol and Allen "Baloyskie" Baloy.[47] RSG Philippines resurgence and the ECHO Express (2022)Blacklist International would suffer a dubbed "world championship curse" as the team failed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since the organization joined MPL Philippines. Blacklist' gravely missed the star duo of the team in Villaluna and Del Rosario whom took a break from the competitive MLBB scene that saw the introduction of rookie Kent "Kevier" Lopez.[48] RSG Philippines were able to clinch the opportunity to become a dominant force in the competitive MPL scene following their early playoff exit during the previous season. RSG Philippines had the services of Dylan "Light" Catipon whom joined the team during the offseason meanwhile ECHO Philippines formed a Big Three that sought the services of Karl "KarlTzy" Nepomuceno, Tristan "Yawi" Cabrera and Frediemar "3MarTzy" Serafico from Bren Esports, Nexplay EVOS, and TNC Pro Team, respectively.[49] RSG Philippines won the MPL Philippines Season 9 title over Smart Omega who continued to run the championship Execration roster from MSC 2021.[50] Both RSG Philippines and Smart Omega became the representatives for the Philippines in MSC 2022. Third MSC Title BerthMSC 2022 became the first offline tournament held in Malaysia following the easing of Covid-19 restrictions but remained strict on protocols. MSC 2022 featured twelve teams from seven different countries including the very first MSC champions from Thailand IDONOSLEEP Esports.[51] Both Philippine representatives qualified for the Upper Bracket but Smart Omega made their own arduous crawl in the lower-bracket following their 2–1 defeat to Malaysian champions TODAK in the Upper Bracket.[52] Meanwhile, RSG Philippines fended Myanmar's Falcon Esports 2–1, and sweeping Malaysian runners-up Orange Esports 3–0. However, Indonesian champions RRQ Hoshi were able to deny a potential Philippines vs. Philippines Grand Finals after they defeated RSG Philippines and sent them down in the lower brackets against Smart Omega.[53] RSG Philippines would defeat Smart Omega in 5 games to qualify for the Grand Finals and they wreak havoc against the Indonesian champions, crippling all of their mid-to-late game leads to turn the tides in favor of the raiders. RSG Philippines swept RRQ Hoshi in the Grand Finals to bring the Philippines its unprecedented third MSC title.[54] MSC 2022 was also known for the synonymous "PH Pause Meta" wherein fans from opposing teams accused Philippine representatives of using troubleshooting to their advantage.[55] Blacklist International's resurgence and the strengthened ECHO Express (2022)Both Villaluna and Del Rosario returned for MPL Philippines Season 10 and ECHO Philippines signing Sanford "Sanford" Vinuya and Alston "Sanji" Pabico to form their own duo dubbed the "SanSan" duo.[56][57] With minimal roster changes from juggernaut teams such as Blacklist, ECHO, RSG and Bren Esports, MPL Philippines Season 10 began the commemoration of the Greatest Players and Coaches of All-time, beginning the seasonal tradition of induction to the "MPL Philippines Hall of Legends".[58] The MPL Philippines Hall of Legends Inductees were announced prior to the Grand Finals match between Blacklist International, whom following their disappointing Season 9 finish, qualified for the M4 World Championship,[59] and ECHO Philippines, qualifying for the first time since the SunSparks Era.[60] Blacklist International were able to squander the success of ECHO in the Grand Finals after going down 2 games to 1. Blacklist won three-straight games to win their third MPL championship trophy.[61] Third World TitleBlacklist International were among the favorites to win it all for the MLBB M4 World Championship as they were the defending champions coming into the tournament with certain power rankings clustering them with Indonesia's ONIC Esports as the best teams among all of the rest in the tournament.[62] Blacklist International and ECHO would become upper bracket teams and is the only region including Indonesia to have two of their representatives in the upper-brackets. Blacklist International quickly made moves and sent both RRQ Akira and RRQ Hoshi down to the lower brackets in the Quarterfinals and Semifinals in 4 and 5 games, respectively.[63][64] Blacklist International would defeat ECHO in the Upper Bracket Finals to clinch its back-to-back Finals appearance in the M4 World Championships. ECHO would silence the Indonesian crowd after a 3–1 series victory over RRQ Hoshi. This series was particularly infamous for having a booing crowd during the introduction to ECHO Philippines and subsequent reactions from streamers and Indonesian pros.[65][66] The second Philippines vs. Philippines Grand Finals was between Blacklist and ECHO in a grand finals rematch of MPL Philippines Season 10. ECHO Philippines would return the favor to Blacklist, sweeping the team in the Grand Finals to win the M4 World Championships.[67] AP Bren–ECHO Dominance (2023–2024)The 2023 MPL Philippines season featured the same eight teams that have been competing in MPL Philippines Season 8. During MPL Philippines Season 11, ECHO Philippines were able to secure its first MPL Philippines title in a historical trilogy series between ECHO and Blacklist International.[68] The series was significant because this was the only title that the "ECHO Express" team won as a team prior to Cabrera's departure from the team. Both Blacklist and ECHO Philippines qualified for MSC 2023 as overwhelming favorites for the competition. However, ECHO suffered a surprising 3–0 sweep in the semifinals[69] that saw ONIC Esports advancing to the Finals and ultimately winning the MSC 2023 title 4 games to 2 against Blacklist International.[70] Season 12 proved to be a similar story for Blacklist International after the Royal Duo decides to skip MPL Philippines Season 12. However, as underdogs for the Season 12 title, Blacklist International were able to secure their third-consecutive Grand Finals appearance after a 3–1 win over ECHO Philippines that secured them a spot in the MLBB M5 World Championship.[71] AP Bren (formerly Bren Esports), were able to decode Blacklist International in the Grand Finals, winning the series 4 games to 1. Fourth World TitleThe Philippines’ sent AP Bren and Blacklist International to the world stage for the M5 World Championships held on home soil. Both organizations have a history of winning the world title back in M2 (2020) and M3 (2021). No team thus far has won a world title on home soil with all home representatives being eliminated in either the group stage or the lower bracket finals.[72][73] AP Bren and Blacklist International made it into the top 2 of their groups and were both slotted to face SeeYouSoon[74] and ONIC Esports[75] in the upper-bracket quarterfinals, respectively. AP Bren would loose a grand finals spot to ONIC Esports after getting swept in the upper bracket finals[76] while Blacklist got swept by AP Bren in the lower bracket finals. Blacklist lost 3-2 to ONIC and crawled the lower bracket, defeating teams like Fire Flux Esports—considered as Blacklist’s kryptonite in the group stage—Geek Fam ID, who had the services of former ONIC Philippines roamer Allen “Baloyskie” Baloy, and Deus Vult who had the rising phenomenon Mathaios “Kid Bomba” Chatzilakos.[77][78][79] AP Bren had a 3-1 series lead to ONIC Esports in the finals before ONIC won two straight games to send it to the first game 7 series of the world championship since M2, the same tournament AP Bren won two years prior. However, after a miscalculated bush check by Kairi “Kairi” Rayosdelsol, AP Bren won the Philippines’ fourth-consecutive title and breaking the home ground champions curse.[80] The resurgence of ONIC Philippines (2024–present)After AP Bren lost in seven games at the inaugural MLBB Mid Season Cup to Malaysia's Selangor Red Giants, AP Bren remained a force in MPL Philippines with continual patches and metas favoring the picks for AP Bren. However, Fnatic ONIC Philippines became a significant threat to now Falcons AP Bren's dominance as they went on to break Blacklist International and ECHO Philippines' longest winning streak of twelve-straight games to go 13–1 in the regular season.[81] With the addition of Grant "Kelra" Pillas and King "K1NGKONG" Perez from Smart Omega and TNC Pro Team, respectively, Fnatic ONIC triumphed over its competitors to secure the grand finals spot and a trip to the M6 World Championships in Malaysia for the first time since M3. Fnatic ONIC Philippines faced the debutant team Aurora Gaming who absorbed and bought out most of the roster of Blacklist International. MPL Philippines Season 14 was the first Game 7 finals since MPL Philippines Season 7. Both Fnatic ONIC Philippines and Aurora Gaming qualified to the inaugural swiss stage tournament for M6. Fnatic ONIC Philippines qualified for the knockout stage but Aurora Gaming gave the Philippines its worst showing since M1 when they got swept by Indonesia's Team Liquid ID, thereby eliminating them from the tournament.[82] The earliest exit for a Filipino team thus far was Blacklist's lower bracket final exit in M5. M6 is the first tournament since M1 that only one team from the Philippines qualified for the knockout stage and it was ONIC Philippines themselves who pulled this feat of back in M1. Fifth TitleFnatic ONIC Philippines brought the Philippines its fifth-consecutive M-series title after defeating Indonesia's Team Liquid in five games. This effectively prolongs the Philippines' dominance over the MLBB scene with Fnatic ONIC Philippines fueling rookie players who have yet to touch the world finals stage prior to M6.[83] Participating rosters - Denotes the player/coach/manager is the same player from the previous season.
ResultsBy season† Background shading indicates that the team won the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang World Championship.
Background shading indicates that the team won the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Mid Season Cup.
Background shading indicates that the team was the First Seed for that Season.
By teamTeams with Italicized names indicate teams that have either folded or are no longer participating in MPL Philippines.
Player awards and achievements
Team selectionsThe first recorded team selection was announced during MPL Philippines Season 6. Notably, MPL Philippines Season 7 did not announce any team selections and just announced two individual awards. Legend: Denotes the player won the Regular Season MVP Award
Denotes the player won the Finals MVP Award
Denotes the player won both the Regular Season and Finals MVP Awards
Most team selectionsAfter the introduction of the Fan's All-Star Team Selection, Pillas is the first and only player to have five-MPL All Star team selections. Legend: Denotes the player has retired from pro play
Denotes the player has been inactive from pro play
Denotes the player is playing in another region
MPL Philippines Hall of LegendsIn commemoration of the tenth season of MPL Philippines, on September 5, 2022, MPL Philippines announced that the nominations for the ten new inductees for the Hall of Legends were officially opened. The nominations and voting process lasted for an entire month and two days, ending on October 7, 2022.[103] On Sunday, October 23, 2022, the official inductees were announced on stage before the introduction of the Grand Finalists for MPL Philippines Season 10. The inductees were announced by the following:
An extra inductee was announced onstage when Manjean Faldas was to become the eleventh member of the Hall of Legends. Faldas has been part of MPL Philippines and has been casting MPL Philippines games since Season 1 and is widely known for his tandem partner "ManjeanBoo" at the time together with Shin boo "Shinboo" Ponferrada .[104]
MDL PhilippinesOn January 25, 2023, Moonton announced the establishment of the Philippines' own Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Development League or MDL Philippines.[107] MDL Philippines began its first season on February 15 of the same year.[108] MDL Philippines introduced eight development teams from their professional franchise organizations. Notably, Bren Esports (now known as AP Bren), became the first team to collaborate with Euphoria Esports for MDL Philippines Season 1, the first partnership between two teams in the MDL.[108][109] Furthermore, MDL Philippines would include two Non-MPL franchise teams in ZOL Esports and GameLab Esports. Season 1During Season 1, teams were split into two groups: Group A and Group B. Teams in their respective groups will play a Double round robin format of games and with the remainder of the season, will go into a Single round robin tournament to face cross-matches between both groups. The top two teams from both groups received two first-round byes, teams seeded 2nd and 3rd were slated into the first knockout rounds and the remaining two teams were eliminated from playoff contention. GameLab Esports and ECHO Philippines' MDL team ECHO Proud tied for the best record in MDL Philippines Season 1 with a 10–3 record, and a 22–8, and 23–9 match win-loss record, respectively. Both teams would eventually face each other in the Grand Finals where ECHO Proud won their first MDL title and the first MDL Philippines title, defeating GameLab 3–1.[110] Season 2Season 2 would feature many rebranding efforts from the MPL Franchised teams. Blacklist International partnered with Malaysian organization Team Lunatix,[111] the Bren-Euphoria partnership came to an end after AP Esports acquired the rights to the Bren Esports organization,[112] ZOL Esports and TNC Neo partnered to TNCZ4,[113] and RSG Philippines partnering with local amateur team Mistah Esports Pro for the second edition of MDL Philippines.[114] MDL Philippines would introduced two additional Non-MPL Teams, totaling the number of participants from ten to twelve. These included GameLab Esports, Euphoria Esports, amateur team MHRLK Esports and RRQ Kaito, the first MLBB roster for the Indonesian organization, Rex Regnum Qeon.[115] Certain scandals plagued some teams of MDL Philippines Season 2, most-notably was the termination of the partnership between Blacklist International and Team Lunatix over a mismanagement situation on the part of Team Lunatix. This prompted the immediate termination of the partnership.[116] ECHO Proud for the second-consecutive season toped the regular season with a 10–1 game record and a 20–6 match record. Season 2's format would be different from its predecessor, opting for a single-round-robin match due to the number of teams. The Top 8 teams would advance to the playoffs.[117] Season 3Season 3 reduced the number of teams from the previous twelve to ten as MHRLK Esports and Euphoria Esports departed the amateur league. This was the first season where defending champions ECHO Proud plummeted from the first seed to the fifth seed, ending the regular season with a 5-4; 12-10 record. Furthermore, this was the first season with an international organization in RRQ Kaito claiming the first seed. Season three was another season plagued with scandals and misdemeanor as the league reported issues of Game Fixing Matches between certain teams. As a result, three players were indefinitely banned from participating in any Moonton-sponsored leagues and events. ECHO Proud qualified for the Grand Finals of MDL Philippines Season 3 after defeating Omega Neos 2-0 in the Semifinals stage. This is ECHO Proud's third consecutive Grand Finals appearance since Season 1. Moreover, RRQ Kaito will secure a Grand Finals spot after beating Blacklist Rough World Era 2-0 in the semifinals. RRQ Kaito defeated ECHO Proud 3-2 in the Grand Finals, making the second team to win an MDL title after two, back-to-back titles for ECHO Proud.[118] Season 4The fourth season of MDL Philippines will showcase for the first time regional qualifiers for Philippine teams across its three island clusters: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. The qualifier rounds itself will last from the last week of July until the month of August with MDL Philippines aiming to begin by a hair earlier than MPL Philippines Season 14. ResultsBy Season
By Team
1 - Formerly known as ECHO Proud and Liquid ECHO. Italic - Team pulled out of the league. RivalriesSunsparks-ONIC PhilippinesSunsparks and ONIC Philippines had one of the most-anticipated Grand Finals during Seasons 4 and 5 and a rivalry between both teams led up to their back-to-back appearances in the Finals. ONIC was led by the "Royal Duo" Johnmar "OhMyV33Nus" Villaluna and Daneire James "Wise" Del Rosario [119] during this time meanwhile Sunsparks had the services of current MPL players Kiel "KielVJ" Cruzem, Christian "Rafflesia" Fajura, Renz "RENZIO" Cadua and ECHO's Jaypee "Jaypee" Cruz. Both ONIC and Sunsparks topped the Season 4 Regular Season standings, each having an 8–1 record. Despite having a higher plus/minus differential for Sunsparks, ONIC was able to top the standings.[120] In the Season 4 Grand Finals, ONIC Philippines were poised to take Game 3 for their first title. However, Sunsparks would win the game after a counter save by Sunsparks' Rafflesia. This gave the ability for the team's Minions to reach the base while members of ONIC Philippines were pushing the mid-lane, sending the series to Game 5. Sunsparks would ultimately win Game 5 and their first of two organization titles for MPL Philippines.[121] Season 5 would see a rematch between Sunsparks and ONIC Philippines. Sunsparks had an 8–1 record while ONIC placed third with a 7–2 record. After an altercation in Game 3 in the Upper-Brackets, ONIC would crawl their way back to the Finals from the Lower-Brackets to face a rematch with Sunsparks. It is worth to point out that ONIC Philippines' roamer Allen "Baloyskie" Baloy (formerly known as Greed) switched teams during the offseason and joined Sunsparks. Meanwhile, Sunsparks' former Roamer Cedric "Fuzaken" Pasusani joined ONIC.[122] Sunsparks would dismantle ONIC Philippines in their last altercation, becoming the first organization in MPL history to win back-to-back titles.[123] Sunsparks would see their roster be acquired by AURA Philippines (now: ECHO Philippines)[124] while ONIC Philippines continued to be one of the eight franchises of MPL Philippines.[125] Blacklist International-Smart OmegaDubbed as the "El Clasico" rivalry, Blacklist International and Smart Omega's rivalry starts when the Omega roster was still under Execration. In Season 7, Blacklist dominated the group stage, going 12–1 while Execration was tied for second with a 6–7 record. Both teams have competed against each other since Season 6, however, their prevalent rivalry was more detailed during Season 7. Blacklist International was able to secure a Grand Finals position and an MSC appearance after a 3–2 victory over AP Bren and a 3–1 victory over AURA. Execration meanwhile, had to start from the Lower Bracket Eliminations before crawling their way to the Grand Finals. Execration led the series 3–1 in the build up to Game 5. However, Blacklist would upset Execration and would win their first of three organization title in history.[126] Execration and Blacklist International set up a PH vs. PH Finals in MSC 2021. Execration would maintain their momentum in a 3–1 lead and would eventually win their final international title as an Organization under the brand Execration when they defeated Blacklist.[127] In Season 8, Execration left the MPL Philippines scene and the roster was eventually relinquished. Smart Omega eSports relinquished its own members and the organization would acquire the Execration roster leading up to MPL Philippines Season 8.[128] Meanwhile, Salic "Hadji" Imam, Omega's Jungler would join Blacklist International during the offseason.[129] This would compete the eventual "MV3" trio which included Edward "Edward" Dapadap and Kiel Calvin "OHEB" Soriano.[130] Both teams would be caught in different situations regarding their players, most notably was Soriano lifting his middle finger after the conclusion of the second leg of Blacklist vs. Omega in the regular season, in which Soriano was penalized and subsequently suspended for the team's first series in the playoffs.[130] Blacklist would still cruise with a 13–1 record while Omega settled for fourth with a 5–9 record. After a 3–1 victory over ECHO,[131] Omega would surprise the defending champions after they defeated them 3 games to 1.[132] However, Blacklist would rebound and defeat Omega in a 3–1 series in the Lower-Bracket Finals which eventually led to Blacklist winning both MPL Philippines Season 8 and the MLBB M3 World Championships.[133][134] Omega would dismantle Blacklist during the proceeding season, defying them a playoff spot and subsequently ending their playoff-run.[135] Omega would still rank sixth overall, but would dominate the playoffs, sweeping ECHO's super team in the Quarterfinals.[136] Despite dropping to the lower-brackets after a 3–1 defeat to TNC, Omega would sweep the Kairi-led ONIC Philippines squad and sweep their rematch game against TNC Pro Team to clinch a Grand Finals spot for the first time since Season 6.[137] Unfortunately, Omega would lose 4–1 to RSG in the Finals.[138] Bren Esports-Cignal UltraTwo of the oldest teams in the league prior to Season 8, AP Bren (formerly known as Bren Esports and Aether Main) and Cignal Ultra (formerly known as Digital Devil Pro Team) were the original teams who've longed dominated MPL Philippines prior to the introduction of Blacklist, RSG and ECHO. Their rivalry extends to Season 2 where Bren and CG met for the first and last time in the Grand Finals stage. Bren Esports topped the Regular Season with a 7–2; 15–5 record while Cignal Ultra tied for second with a 6–3; 13–10 record. Bren Esports initially 2–0 Cignal Ultra in the Upper-Bracket Finals and gave them a shot for the MPL Title, however, Cignal Ultra would rematch Bren in the Finals and won in four games.[139] Both teams rematched in the playoffs once again, but Bren would advance to the Finals against Arkangel after dismantling the defending champions. Execration-Nexplay EVOSMembers of both Execration and Nexplay EVOS were not shy when it comes to taunting the other team's players. Both teams have their heated share of taunts from one series to the other. This stretched all the way to Season 1 because of how Setsuna "AkoSiDogie" Ignacio and Billy "Z4PNU" Alfonso perceived their roster of players and how any of them could surpass the other to greatness. Ignacio's belt includes an MPL title for Season 1 and a MSC 2018 title while Alfonso holds an MSC title of his own from his players. References
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