MSC group stage all set as Blacklist, Execration look to bring crown back to Philippines

Blacklist International and Execration are now hard-pressed as barely two weeks after their grueling seven-game grand final series in the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League (MPL) Philippines Season 7, they are to banner the country in the upcoming MLBB Southeast Asia Cup (MSC) 2021 slated on June 7-13.

In the live draw on Wednesday, Blacklist was assigned to Group C with last season's MPL Indonesia runner-up Bigetron Alpha along with Impunity KH, who represented Cambodia during the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.

Bigetron's last international appearance was during the 2020 MPL Invitational, where they were booted out in the first round via a 2-0 sweep by Geek Fam Indonesia. Impunity, meanwhile, participated in this year's M2 World Championship and did not register a single win in all six matches played.

Execration will face a dangerous EVOS Legends (Singapore) who dominated the inaugural MPL Singapore, dropping only one match in the playoffs en route to the first-ever MPL SG title. They will be joined in Group D by Nightmare Esports from Laos.

The first-placed teams after the group stage will qualify directly into the upper bracket playoffs while the remaining teams will fight for dear life against other teams in the lower bracket.

The last Filipino team to win the MSC title was Bren Esports in 2018, then composed of the members of the Season 1 MPL PH Champs Aether Main. In 2019, it was MPL PH Season 3 Champs ArkAngel Esports who carried the Philippine flag and finished third behind two Indonesian teams. The 2020 MSC was canceled due to the COVID pandemic.

Here are the complete results of the live draw:

Group A
RSG Malaysia
RSG Singapore
I Do Not Sleep (Thailand)

Group B
EVOS Legends (Indonesia)
Todak (Malaysia)
Cyber Exe (Vietnam)

Group C
Blacklist International (Philippines)
Bigetron Alpha (Indonesia)
Impunity KH (Cambodia)

Group D
EVOS Legends (Singapore)
Execration (Philippines)
Nightmare Esports (Laos)

—MGP, GMA News