FOR THE FOURTH straight edition, the world esports title in the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) belonged to the Philippines.
Home team AP Bren subdued Onic Esports Indonesia in a thrilling back-and-forth duel, 4-3, to win the MLBB M5 World Championship over the weekend at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Manila.
It’s a fitting vengeance for the Philippine representative, which bowed to the Indonesian rivals in the upper bracket finals before turning the tide in the best-of-seven grand finals in front of a roaring home crowd.
Led by coach Francis “Duckey” Glindro, AP Bren thus became the first multi-time champions of the M-series world tilt after also ruling the second edition. AP Bren also became the first host team to win the tourney.
AP Bren’s win in M2 ignited the Philippines’ dominant four-peat streak in the world stage as compatriots Blacklist International and Echo Philippines won the M3 and M4, respectively. Only Evos Legends from Indonesia, the inaugural champions, managed to steal one from the Philippines in stamping its Esports class worldwide.
And like its first championship in Singapore in 2020 with a 4-3 win against Burmese Ghouls of Myanmar, AP Bren needed everything it can handle anew to fend off a blazing comeback attempt by Onic Indonesia.
Motivated by a previous 0-3 loss in the upper bracket finals against the same squad, AP Bren raced to a 3-1 lead on Onic with Finals MVP David “FlapTzy” Canon wreaking havoc.
But Onic, led by Filipino reinforcement Kairi “Kairi” Rayosdelsol and under the watch of Pinoy coach Denver “Yeb” Miranda, refused to surrender by snatching Games 5 and 6 to force a winner-take-all match.
With solid support from Rowgien “Owgwen” Unigo, Marco “Super Marco” Requitiano and Michael “KyleTzy” Sayson and captain Angelo “Pheww” Arcangel, Canon anchored AP Bren’s comeback from a 5-7 kill deficit en route to hoisting the Golden Road crown.
The M5 conquest completed a hat-trick for AP Bren, which needed to beat Blacklist in the lower bracket finals, 3-0, to advance in the finale, this season after also winning the MLBB Pro League-Philippines (MPL-PH) Season 12 and the Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia.
AP Bren took home the $300,000 (P16.7 million) grand prize as runner-up Onic Esports ($120,000) and third-placer Blacklist ($80,000) completed the podium of the M5 also participated by bets from the United States, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Turkey, Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, Myanmar and Mongolia. — John Bryan Ulanday