NXPE sends Blacklist to 3rd straight loss in MPL PH S9

Nexplay Evos bounced back from their Week 1 loss with an impressive 2-1 win over M3 world champions Blacklist International in the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League (MPL) Philippines Season 9 on Friday.

The win also served as their revenge after faltering via a 3-1 loss to the Tier One-backed squad in the Sibol qualifiers for the 2022 Southeast Asian Games. Nexplay could've scored a sweep in the series but committed costly errors late in Game 2 that enabled the defending champions to force a decider.

Renejay “Renejay” Barcase reintroduced himself into the MPL with a surprising Franco pick in Game 1 that led the early disruptions on the Blacklist jungle courtesy of nifty Iron Hook executions, en route to a 5-2 kill lead.

Salic “Hadji” Imam (Valentina) kept the defending champions afloat as he fended off NXPE's aggression and took 4-0-1 KDA on his own by the 8th minute to equalize on the kill tally.

But NXPE was relentless, securing three consecutive lords to take the opening, 1-0. Renejay finished with a stellar 2-2-10 KDA.

It looked like a sweep was on the way when NXPE took down all inhibitor turrets by the 12th minute mark in Game 2.

But the comebacking Dexstar Louise “Dex Star” Alaba (Lolita) executed a superb Noumenon Blast counter set-up in the 13th minute to touch off a 3-0 wipe that Blacklist converted into a luminous lord take.

NXPE then committed a grave overextension in the 18th minute that Blacklist used to completely turn the game around and equalize, 1-1.

But the Dogie-led squad once again flexed their might taking an 11-1 kill domination of the two-time MPL champions in 14 mins of Game 3 to take the series.

—JMB, GMA News