MPL PH S8

Omega defeats top seed Blacklist, books ticket to upper bracket finals

Omega Esports avenged their regular season losses to top seed Blacklist International as they scored a 3-1 win to book a ticket into the upper bracket finals across Onic Philippines in the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League (MPL) Philippines Playoffs on Friday.

It was a beautiful turn around for Omega who were, at one point, below playoff qualification midway through the season. This was the third playoff series between Omega and Blacklist who also figured in the grand finals of MPL PH Season 7 and MLBB Southeast Asian Cup 2021.

After a nip-and-tuck early to midgame, Blacklist finally broke the balance in the 12th minute with a 3-0 wipe to take control of the match.

They used an excellent diversion in the 17th minute to secure the luminous lord and forced Omega to commit risky plays en route to a 4-1 exchange that put them up 1-0.

Omega immediately responded in Game 2, pulling ahead early with a 4-0 kill spread by the 4th minute.

Salic “HADJI” Imam (Claude) tried to carry Blacklist on his back with nifty pickoffs and solid mechanical plays in clashes, including a 2-1 double kill in the 6th minute that prevented Omega from taking control of the map and objectives.

But Duane “Kelra” Pillas (Alice) refused to back down as his exploits in the 12th minute where he scored a triple kill, helped the Southeast Asian kings to score a 4-0 wipe and secure the luminous lord for the equalizer, 1-1.

Rookie Dean “Raizen” Sumagui (Lancelot) led the Omega rampage in Game 2 with a stellar 9-1-4 KDA.

It looked like Blacklist took control of Game 3, establishing a 10-4 kill lead by the 10th minute but Omega successfully fended off a final base turret push in the 15th minute to drag the match deep into late game.

Omega used a 21st-minute lord fight to score a pivotal 3-0 wipe that took the fight away from Blacklist, 2-1.

The Pakbet-mentored squad then did not leave any stones unturned as they abruptly ended a close Game 4 with outstanding mechanical play in a 13th minute lord fight that helped them secure the luminous lord and a 3-0 wipe, courtesy of Raizen's (Lancelot) double kill.

They did not waste any more time as they closed it out right away in the ensuing play.

—JMB, GMA News