The battle against the pandemic has been tipping more to our favour lately, and the success of the most prestigious world championship for Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, the M2 World Championship, is evidence of that feat. It was the first-ever international esports event to take place successfully this year.
M2 enjoyed more than 136 million views across the world on eight live streaming platforms and two broadcast stations, including eGG Network (how can we not be included?), Facebook, Youtube Gaming, Nimo TV, TikTok, and Twitch. The MLBB world series had a total watch time of 42 million hours, and a reach that exceeds 500 million, making M2 the most-watched mobile esports tournament ever, according to Esports Charts.
Though the PUBG Mobile Global Championship Season Zero (PMGC 2020) had 3.8 million peak viewership, Daria Belous of Esports Charts explained that "mainly because it counted in-game spectators who collected prizes (in the) in-game client." More details on this will be shared by Esports Charts in the near future.
The most popular match of M2 was the finals - Burmese Ghouls vs Bren Esports, with as many as 3,083,245 peak concurrent users watching the epic finale, a 353% increase from last year's. After all, both of them had the highest hours watched during the competition.
M2 was held in Singapore, where 12 of the world's best MLBB teams battled for the US$300,000 prize pool, with Bren Esports laying waste to everyone and claiming the championship title.
M2 was organised by MLBB developer/publisher Moonton, and its resounding success was also made possible by their partnership with Singapore’s Cybersports and Online Gaming Association (SCOGA) and the Singapore Tourism Board (STB).
For more details on M2's viewership, check out the Esports Chart website.
In the meantime, the next season of the MLBB Professional League Malaysia (MPL-MY) will arrive very soon on 12 March. Here's every team competing in MPL-MY Season 7.
The M2 Mobile Legends: Bang Bang World Championship, ended only a few weeks ago, but did you know that it was originally scheduled to take place in 2020? The event had to be postponed due to the pandemic which caused a lot of headache for organizers and introduced new factors such as safety measures and travel restrictions for a lot of the players. Fortunately, Moonton managed to pull off a successful event (albeit without a crowd) in Singapore on January 2021.
After a whole year of mostly online-only tournaments, the offline event was a breath of fresh air and one to remember. While it was going to be an audience-less setting, it was still a step up from players competing from their bedrooms and training houses. Moonton filmed the whole process of running the tournament in Singapore, from start to finish, and have released an insightful documentary showcasing all the hardships and challenges they had to overcome in order to bring it to fruition.
With top-notch production, a lot of dialogue and behind the scenes footage that wasn't shown during the live stream, it definitely is a must-watch for all MLBB esports fans out there. The complete documentary is available on Moonton's Facebook page, so if you've been thirsting for some MPL-MY S7 content, check it out in the meantime!
The last match of the whole tournament is finally upon us. Featuring Burmese Ghouls, from Myanmar; and Bren Esports from The Philippines, it's one of the most exciting matches we'll have in Mobile Legends: Bang Bang history. Where the Burmese Ghouls entered the tournament as underdogs amongst such a star-studded cast, and Bren Esports were considered heavy favourites, the former ended up at the Grand Finals through the upper bracket, while the latter through the lower bracket - two unexpected stories! Regardless, it doesn't matter how the teams got there but what happens during the match. It's going to be an epic best-of-seven, so MLBB fans, hold on tight!
In game 1, the Myanmarese squad started out strong with some early kills and a small gold lead - when it came to midgame Bren figured out what they needed to do and bit back at the Ghouls. They successfully took multiple fights and turned them into objectives but when it came to entering the base, they seemed to have trouble. Fortunately for Bren, the Ghouls made some mistakes that they could capitalize on and finish the game. Bren lead the series 1-0.
Game 2 was a disaster for the Burmese Ghouls. Despite getting some of their favourite picks, the team failed to stop the onslaught of Bren Esports right from the laning stage all the way to the final push. The Ghouls looked completely different from their dominating form over the past week, like they were undeserving of the grand finals spot. Fortunately, for them, it's a best-of-seven, so they'll have a few more chances to come back. Bren Esports remain in the lead, 2-0.
For the third game, the Burmese Ghouls showed some signs of life. While both teams played extremely cautiously, it was the Ghouls who broke away with the first major lead and took control of the map. With their map control, they managed to sneak the Lord which allowed them to take away all of Bren's inhibitors, and then a final push after another team fight. Burmese Ghouls finally score the first win of this match.
In game 4, Bren Esports started with all cylinders firing, taking a massive lead over the Myanmarese team. However, the Burmese Ghouls displayed why they were on the big stage today - the team persevered through the aggression of the Filipinos, keeping up the farm of Ace and Dee, and successfully held them off. After a few key team fights, the Burmese Ghouls broke through the base of Bren, ending the game in their favour, and tying the series at 2-2.
Game 5 was another great example of the Burmese Ghoul's discipline. Despite the favourable start from Bren Esports, again they held on and kept their cool, making sure that Ace on Claude didn't stop farming. Towards the midgame, the Ghouls turned the game around, and gave Bren a taste of their own medicine, slaying their heroes left and right. With this victory, the Myanmarese have secured the match point of the Grand Finals.
With their backs against the wall, Bren Esports pulled out all the stops, playing with renewed vigour, especially after being allowed to draft Brody for KarlTzy. The hero, which has been first ban material for most of the tournament, showed us why. Building 5 defensive items, KarlTzy stayed alive long enough to dish out all the damage his team needed in order to win fights. This time around, the Ghouls' discipline wasn't enough to stop the Bren aggression, and they crumbled after multiple pushes against their base. Bren Esports equalized the series at 3-3.
Game 7 - something that all MLBB fans have been asking for, a best-of-seven Grand Final match that goes all the way! While the game started off on even footing, things started going downhill for the Ghouls when they lost a massive teamfight around the Lord in the midgame which broke the game wide open for Bren Esports. This gave Bren the go ahead to push down into the Ghouls' base at 14 minutes, securing them the final game of the day. Bren Esports are your M2 MLBB World Champions! Well played to Burmese Ghouls for making it this far, they have made Myanmar extremely proud this week and we look forward to seeing them at future tournaments.
And that concludes the M2 MLBB World Championship! What a way to end the final day. We hope you enjoyed the tournament as much as we did and we look forward to even more Mobile Legends action in the upcoming seasons of MPL! Stay tuned to eGG Network for all the latest news and updates on MLBB!
It's the final day of the M2 Mobile Legends: Bang Bang World Championship! Today we will find out which of the three remaining teams will lift the trophy of the best team in the world. We have the Burmese Ghouls waiting to face off against their opponent in an epic best-of-seven for the Grand Finals but first, we have to see who makes it through.
The first game was a beatdown from RRQ Hoshi - the Indonesians successfully shut down Bren's KarlTzy (seems like the go-to strat against them) and the rest of the team had nothing to respond with either. Quick, clean, efficient, RRQ scored the first win of the day at 11 minutes.
Game 2 started in favour of RRQ, but towards the midgame, Bren won a decisive engagement which gave them the lead and a Lord to make a quick push into their opponent's base. While RRQ managed to successfully defend, they lost all their outer towers instead. Another team fight and one Lord later, the Filipinos invaded RRQ's base to equalize the match at 18 minutes. Well played to Flaptzy who put the team on his back this game.
The third game was a real stomp from Bren Esports. After the initial 'download' game, Bren seems to have figured out RRQ's number. KarlTzy on his Lancelot showed us what he is capable of when he doesn't get shut down during the laning phase. If Bren keeps it up, they look like a shoo-in for the grand finals later today.
Game 4 started with Bren exerting total dominance over their Indonesian opponents. Towards the midgame, RRQ Hoshi showed some signs of life but Bren quickly shut all hopes down. All Bren needed was a few kills and a Lord to spell the end of RRQ's run this tournament. Bren Esports move on to the Grand Finals to meet the Burmese Ghouls!
M2 concludes this evening, 24 January at 6pm. Don’t forget to tune into eGG Network TV, Astro Arena, or Facebook to catch all the action. Stay tuned to eGG Network for all the latest news and updates on M2!
The second day of the M2 Mobile Legends: Bang Bang World Championship is going to be more brutal than the last. Today we say farewell to three more teams from M2 - it's going to be heartbreaking for a lot of MLBB fans watching the tournament.
Alter Ego kept up their yesterday's form and remained on fire today. For the first game, the Indonesians took an early lead which was equalized by the Filipinos, but two bad fights allowed Alter Ego to secure the Lord and a push down Omega's base at 14 minutes to end the first game in their favour.
In the second game, Alter Ego played an extremely aggressive draft which shut Omega down before they could even come online. Not much to be said besides farewell to the Filipino squad. Congratulations to Alter Ego, they are one step closer to the lower bracket finals.
Game 1 started with Bren Esports bringing the aggression and scoring many kills against Todak - the reason being the latter sending less players to the fights in order to claim objectives on the map instead. Towards the midgame, Todak won multiple skirmishes which allowed them to secure the first inhibitor of the game, a Lord, and another successful push to end the game at 17 minutes.
Game 2 was a complete thrashing the other way - Bren Esports seemed to be unfazed by the first loss. Right from the get-go, they kept up their aggression from the first game but this time they turned their team fight victories into objectives. Eventually, Bren snowballed over Todak's lineup and equalized the series at 11 minutes.
The first game 3 of the playoffs - started off with questionable picks from Todak, and even more questionable plays from the team. They looked lost as Bren Esports led their opponents all over the map, baiting them into unfavourable skirmishes. Towards the end of the match Todak were pretty much sending their players in to die one-by-one, which allowed Bren Esports to methodically end the game with no issues. The only Malaysian representatives have been eliminated from M2 and Bren Esports move on to face Alter Ego later today.
The first game of the match started off on very even footing, with both teams trading kills and objectives, until RRQ slipped up which allowed the Burmese Ghouls to secure a Lord, and the victory shortly after. The Myanmar team scores the first win of the series.
Game 2 played out in similar fashion, with Burmese Ghouls' discipline and calculated gameplay giving them an edge over RRQ Hoshi. Despite the latter showing some signs of life during some skirmishes in the game, it wasn't enough to hold off the Myanmarese players. Burmese Ghouls lead the series 2-0.
RRQ Hoshi managed to pull up their socks in time for the third game against Burmese Ghouls. Showing excellent initiations and team fights, it was the Ghouls' turn to look lost this game. Despite them defending an inhibitor-less base for a few minutes, they never managed to find a solution against the Indonesian onslaught. RRQ score their first win of the day.
The Indonesians seemed to have Burmese Ghouls number for this game. Starting from the draft (where they managed to pick up Brody and Esmerelda), RRQ had the upper hand against the Ghouls. The Myanmarese could not withstand RRQ's assault and quickly fell, fight after fight. Despite some close fights, members of RRQ managed to keep escaping with a sliver of health. With this victory, the best of five will go all the way.
The final game of the match between two very evenly-matched teams has boiled down to a best-of-one, the winner moving on to the Grand Finals tomorrow, and the loser dropping down to the lower bracket. Needless to say, Burmese Ghouls got out of their two-straight loss slump by returning to form and dominating RRQ in this game. Roaming around the map as 5, the Ghouls won team fight after team fight to march down RRQ's base at 13 minutes.
Bumese Ghouls move on to the M2 Grand Finals tomorrow, while RRQ Hoshi will face the winner of Bren Esports vs Alter Ego.
A rematch of a Group C match, where Bren Esports managed to 2-0 Alter Ego, the Indonesians will be looking for revenge today. Game 1 started with Alter Ego running circles around Bren Esports and shutting down KarlTzy. With the initial lead, Alter Ego snowballed out of control leaving Bren unable to defend. Shoutout to LeoMurphy for his standout performance on Chou who finished the game with 0 deaths at 14 assists.
Game 2 went the opposite way, with Bren Esports pulling off a near-flawless performance and flipping the script against Alter Ego. Karltzy's Lancelot made quick work of the Indonesians this game.
The final game was somewhat anticlimactic, with Bren Esports showing their true form, completely dominating Alter Ego Esports from start to finish. Protecting KarlTzy seemed to be the name of the game for Bren Esports and it worked. The Indonesians looked helpless against the Filipino squad and were met with a swift defeat. Alter Ego have been eliminated from M2, and Bren Esports move on to face RRQ Hoshi tomorrow.
M2 will come to a conclusion tomorrow, Sunday 11.00 am, 24 January, where one team will go home with the World Champion trophy! Don’t forget to tune into eGG Network TV, Astro Arena, or Facebook to catch all the action. Stay tuned to eGG Network for all the latest news and updates on M2!
Today is do-or-die for two of the teams in the lower brackets of the M2 Mobile Legends: Bang Bang World Championship, and a chance for two teams in the upper brackets to move one step closer towards the goal of being world champions. Who will falter, and who will prevail?
Alter Ego showed up today, as though they wanted to say they didn’t belong in the lower bracket was a mistake. The first game was a huge thrashing and 10S Gaming Frost didn’t stand a chance, ending at just under 13 minutes with a kill score of 20-10 in favour of the Indonesians.
Game 2 wasn’t much different, despite 10S Gaming getting fancy with their draft - Alter Ego didn’t hold back, especially their standin’s (Yam) performance who secured MVP for both games. The Indonesians move on to the next stage while the Japanese squad’s M2 journey ends here.
The match a lot of us have been waiting for - Malaysia vs Singapore, the ultimate grudge match and more importantly - a rematch of the MPL-MY/SG S6 Grand Finals which took place about 3 months ago.
For game 1 both teams pulled out some rare picks for this tournament - Tigreal for Todak and Rafaela and Carrie for EVOS SG. The match started off on quite even footing, but towards the midgame, Todak managed to bait EVOS SG into multiple unfavourable engagements, which allowed the team to pull ahead and secure more objectives. In the end, it came down to a skirmish in the base of EVOS SG, which allowed Todak to destroy the Crystal and win the first game.
In the second game, Todak showed that they had EVOS SG’s number and took control of the game right from the get-go. EVOS SG showed some signs of life during the game, but it wasn’t enough to beat Todak’s lineup and aggression. Methodically, the Malaysians won team fight after team fight and secured all the objectives across the map. Todak move forward with a 2-0 score, while EVOS SG have been eliminated from M2.
Burmese Ghouls came out guns blazing for this match. Proving all the analysts at the desk wrong in the first game, the Burmese team gave the Filipinos the beating of their lives. Every fight ended in their favour, and their strategy to shut down Bren’s KarlTzy worked perfectly - Bren Esports looked completely lost this game. With a 14k gold lead, Burmese Ghouls marched into Bren’s base to end the game at 12 minutes.
In Game 2, Burmese Ghouls continued their total domination over Bren Esports. Without missing a beat, they continued their strategy of shutting down KarlTzy and bringing the fights to them. Bren had no answers and in probably the biggest upset of the tournament so far, they fall down to the lower bracket of the playoffs. Burmese Ghouls move on to the upper bracket finals tomorrow.
For the final match of the day, we have a clash between two titans - Omega Esports from the Philipines and RRQ Hoshi from Indonesia. The game started off with Omega Esports in the lead, however, RRQ Hoshi kept their cool and slowly clawed their way back. Towards the midgame, the Indonesians gained the advantage by securing multiple pickoffs on Omega’s squad. Both teams played extremely cautiously which led to a stalemate around the Lord and sending out one core each to clean up the lanes. Eventually, RRQ made a mistake which led to a terrible team fight for them, and Omega claiming the Lord. While it did lead to a successful push to destroy RRQ’s inhibitors, the Indonesians managed to muster up a defence to repel them from the Crystal. The match dragged out all the way to 33 minutes until RRQ claimed another Lord which allowed them to march down Bren’s base, they lead the match 1-0.
The second game featured a rare Bruno pick for RRQ which was instrumental in the Indonesians getting an early lead. RRQ claimed the first turtle of the game, which led to the first Omega Esports turret being destroyed at 3 minutes - a sign of things to come. RRQ continued securing kills and objectives and then snowballed out of control. Unlike the first game which was the longest one of the tournament, RRQ showed that they knew how to play fast as well and ended the match in 10 minutes. They send Omega Esports to the lower bracket and move on to face the Burmese Ghouls tomorrow.
The action of the M2 playoffs will resume tomorrow, Saturday 11.00 am, 23 January and we'll find out who makes it to the Grand Finals! Don’t forget to tune into eGG Network TV, Astro Arena, or Facebook to catch all the action. Stay tuned to eGG Network for all the latest news and updates on M2!
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