We could not have asked for a better MPL Philippines grand final. It was a repeat of Season 4's, with both grand finalists, Sunsparks and ONIC PH, deservedly fighting for the fifth MPL-PH crown. Both teams had a chance to make MPL-PH.
After four gruelling games, it was Sunsparks who ultimately emerged victorious, thanks in part to Kielvj's top-notch performances on Kimmy. The champions took home US$25,000 in cash for their performance. ONIC PH won US$13,000 and Bren Esports, who finished third, won US$6,000.
Killuash, Rafflesia, Kielvj, Jaypee and Renzio also have the honour of becoming two-time champions as well as successfully defending their Season 4 title.
Sunsparks had the early lead but in the third minute, ONIC won an important Turtle fight and gradually pulled ahead. Better map-reading allowed ONIC to push into Sunsparks' top lane and almost took down their inhibitor tower. From then on, last season's runners-up were in cruise control with OhMyV33NUS played exceptionally on his Cecilion with a 5/1/13 final KDA score.
Sunsparks drafted more aggressively with Kielvj on Kimmy. However, ONIC kept their cool and held their ground. Wise's consistency on Karrie was impressive and although he wasn't the flashiest player on the team, his quick farming, and good decision-making during teamfights saw ONIC gain a slight early-game lead.
Sunsparks turned the game around in the 8th minute after posturing for Turtle and baiting ONIC to dive on them and take a bad fight. Kielvj was a vital ingredient of the defending champions' mid-game aggression which forced ONIC to stay within their base. Sunsparks claimed the second Lord of the game around 15 minutes and looked to end the game before Kimmy falls off and Wise's Karrie comes fully online. In an extended teamfight, ONIC held their base valiantly but were ultimately overpowered.
Sunsparks stuck with a winning strategy, once again giving Kielvj his Kimmy. The game was even for the most part, but after Sunsparks secured Lord, they grew in confidence and strength. With the kill-score relatively even, Sunsparks took more efficient fights and were able to claim ONIC's top and bottom lane inhibitor towers.
Sunsparks killed the first Enhanced Lord but ONIC defended well. The game became a stalemate as Sunsparks were reluctant to push without Lord, whereas ONIC were content to sit back and farm up Wise' Karrie. Smart map-positioning from ONIC allowed them to steal Lord from Sunsparks control in the 23rd minute and put them firmly in the drivers' seat - for a while.
Sunsparks eventually won this back-and-forth game after 36 minutes when ONIC became overconfident and took a bad fight outside Sunsparks' base.
ONIC changed things up, getting Hanzo for Wise, whereas Kielvj got his hand on Kimmy for the third game in a row. The early game was once again fairly even as Sunparks tried to pick a jungling Wise with his roaming Natalia.
In an even game, ONIC was able to gain marginal leads in terms of kills and gold, but with Greed constantly hunting Wise's Hanzo and shutting down his effectiveness, Sunsparks had better map control. They took Lord in the 15th minute and tried to end the game. However, ONIC defended well and kept all three inhibitor towers.
For the next 15 minutes or so, both teams were posturing around the Lord pit and the top and middle lanes of ONIC PH. Wise was mostly confined to defending Sunsparks' split-push and his lack of impact was palpable. The defending champions finally broke the deadlock in the 28th minute to win the series 3-1 and become the first two-time MPL-PH champions.
It’s the last day of the Mobile Legends Bang Bang Professional League – Philippines Season 5 (MPL-PH S5) Playoffs with the remaining three teams all from the upper bracket at the start of the tournament. This season, for the first time, we’ll be guaranteed some repeat winners to lift the trophy but first, Bren Esports and Onic PH will need to battle for the opportunity to meet Sunsparks in the grand finals.
Onic PH vs Bren Esports
Onic PH started the series by playing a perfect game - taking out all of Bren Esports’ turrets and base without losing a single structure at 12 minutes. Bren Esports seemingly had no chance of winning despite a fairly even early game - they simply weren’t able to find a hole in Onic PH’s tanky lineup.
Bren Esports showed that they weren’t out of the series just yet, drafting a strong team fighting lineup with X.borg, Pharsa and Tharmus, and let KarlTzy go ham on one of his best heroes this tournament, Ling. This time around, Onic PH were the helpless ones, and the game was another 12-minute stomp.
The third game of the series saw both teams making more calculated moves, taking only advantageous pickoffs and objectives. The kill score and networth remained close until 9 minutes when Onic PH managed to secure a couple of kills and towers. However, the turning point of the match was at 11 minutes when Bren Esports was distracted by a skirmish that was breaking out around the Lord. While they were fighting, Onic PH’s Wise (Karrie) split pushed to take out the top inhibitor turret and threatened the base on his own. This forced a retreat from Bren, which led to an uncontested Lord for Onic PH, and turned into a game-ending push by the team.
Congratulations to Onic PH, they got what they wanted: a grand finals rematch against Sunsparks, for the trophy that was almost in their hands last season. GGWP to Bren Esports, they have been eliminated from MPL-PH S5.
Stay tuned to Egg Network (Channel 800 Astro), on Facebook or Cignal in the Philippines to catch the last match of the day! Who are you rooting for?
Sunsparks secured back-to-back grand final appearances (seasons 4 and 5) with a stunning 2-0 victory over tournament favourites Bren Esports. In the final series of the day, ONIC PH gave a dominant display to send Execration packing and extend their chances of winning their first MPL-PH title.
Related:
MPL-PH S5 Playoffs Recap: Day 1
MPL-PH S5 Playoffs Recap: Day 2
Bren Esports, Regular Season league leaders dispatched Execration 2-1 on the first day and was touted by many as a strong title contender. However, their series against defending champions Sunsparks was disappointing.
Bren's Game 1 draft raised eyebrows among the analysts and casters who unanimously predicted Gusion's weakness as a Mage. This came true as Sunsparks came out guns blazing from the first minute. Jaypee, who recently became a father, played phenomenally on his Ling, carrying his team to a straightforward victory. It was an extremely one-sided game as Bren arguably lost during the drafting phase.
Game 2 proved a different matter and Bren switched up their picks, opting to give KarlTzy Wanwan for late game potential. The Season 1 champions matched Sunsparks' early aggression with KarlTzy giving a solid performance. Nevertheless, Sunsparks managed to maintain a slight lead in both gold and experience throughout the game and although Bren's effort was commendable, Sunsparks proved themselves a class above.
The victory booked Sunsparks' spot in the grand final, allowing them to inch closer to a potential second title, whereas Bren drop to the lower bracket.
In the final elimination match of the day, MPL-PH Season 4 finalist ONIC PH took on Execration to determine the third team joining Sunsparks and Bren in the final day of the Playoffs.
Game 1 was a largely even affair in the early stages of the game, however, ONIC's Wise and OhMyV33NUS gradually took control of the game, playing Ling and Cecilion respectively. Although the game score was 9-21 in favour of ONIC, this was by no means a walk in the park. Execration fought valiantly and held on for a long time before ultimately suffering defeat around the 18th minute.
ONIC kept up their Game 1 momentum with a successful Hanzo pick that helped them to an early lead. Execration's gameplay was haphazard and never looked like a threat. ONIC ended the game in the 13th minute off the back of a Lord push. The final kill-score of 13-3 was a testament to ONIC's superiority, both in their drafting and in their gameplay.
With this important win, ONIC PH will face Bren Esports in tomorrow's lower bracket final to determine which team will face Sunsparks in the MPL-PH Season 4 Grand Final.
You can watch MPL-PH live on the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Facebook page.
The first half of the Mobile Legends Bang Bang Professional League – Philippines Season 5 (MPL-PH S5) Playoffs today featured some thrilling matches, including an epic 50+ minute-long game in the first series. Who's going home or moving on? Find out in our recap below.
Onic PH vs SGD Omega
The first game of the day ended up being the longest professional game of MLBB to date. Only a few minutes shy of an hour, Onic PH proved their experience and mettle by overcoming SGD Omega’s early game prowess. The former played patiently, defended the pushes while farming their items, and avoided contesting the Lord. As SGD’s Hanzo started to lose effectiveness in the late game, Onic PH gradually reduced the networth gap and baited their opponents into unfavourable team fights.
Game two showed fatigue setting in for Onic PH with their discombobulated draft and execution. On the other hand, SGD Omega displayed that they weren’t fazed by the first loss and closed it out in ten minutes with a well-executed game plan.
However, in the third match, Onic PH played like a revitalized team and demonstrated why they were grand finalist material. Onic PH employed SGD Omega’s own early tactics against them, reversing the spanking they received in game two, and emerged as winners of the series. SGD Omega say goodbye to MPL-PH S5 while Onic PH are one step closer to the grand finals.
Execration vs Blacklist International
Execration look to be on top form today, blasting through Blacklist International in two quick games, doing their best to get the day’s schedule back on track. With an exceptional performance from the whole squad, they showed off what an unchecked Ling can do in game one, and their superior team coordination and movements in game two. Not much to say except farewell to Blacklist International this season. Execration will face off against Onic PH at the lower bracket finals tonight.
Day 2 of the MPL-PH S5 Playoffs is live now on Egg Network (Channel 800 on Astro), our Facebook Page, or Cignal in the Philippines.
Day 1 of the Mobile Legends Bang Bang Professional League - Philippines Season 5 (MPL-PH S5) Playoffs kicked off with a bang, with all the teams bringing their A-game to the table. If you missed the action today, fret not, we're here to bring you up to speed!
Bren Esports vs Execration
The day started off with an interesting series, featuring unorthodox picks and bans like Hanzo and Lancelot - out of meta heroes. While Execration had a good showing today, especially in game 2 when they gave their opponents a good spanking, it was Bren Esports who proved they were the better team. In the nailbiting third game, Execration took an early lead when they destroyed Bren’s lanes - however, the latter stayed calm, continued farming and only struck back once their cores were online. From then on, Execration’s lead slowly eroded - just like their run in the upper bracket. Bren Esports move on to face the winner of Sunsparks vs Onic PH.
Sunsparks vs Onic PH
Another matchup between old rivals; Onic PH took the first game easily, and the second game saw Sunsparks returning the favour in a similar fashion. The series boiled down to the third game where both teams fought tooth and nail until the final second. It began with the teams trading kills in the early game, and staying close on the networth charts. After 9 minutes, Sunsparks won a team fight decisively, ending the stalemate which allowed them to secure the remaining outer turrets and Lord. With Lord on their side, Sunsparks simply marched into their opponent’s side of the map to destroy two inhibitors, and the base shortly after. Sunsparks will meet Bren Esports tomorrow in the upper bracket finals.
SGD Omega vs ULVL
SGD Omega took this series easily, playing cleanly and methodically, executing their line up without any issues. ULVL didn’t stand a chance and it ended up being the only 2-0 of the day. Great showing from the only team to beat Bren during the group stages, perhaps they have what it takes to make it all the way till Sunday. SGD Omega moves on to fight Onic PH tomorrow, while ULVL have been eliminated from MPL-PH S5.
BSB vs Blacklist International
Game 1 was neck and neck until 15 minutes when Blacklist won a team fight to break the game open for them. They quickly seized the Lord and wiped out all of BSB’s outer turrets. This map control allowed them to finish the game after a deciding skirmish near the second Lord. Game 2 saw BSB biting back fiercely, taking an early lead without giving Blacklist a chance to come back. Despite the low number of kills, the former were in control all the way. For the deciding game, BSB Sman’s support Kimmy wasn’t enough to hold off his brother, Blacklist Aqua’s Lancelot who went godlike at 6 minutes. Blacklist International meets Execration tomorrow, while BSB's run ends tonight.
Day 2 of the MPL-PH S5 Playoffs resume tomorrow at 2pm - be sure to tune to Egg Network (Channel 800 on Astro), our Facebook Page, or Cignal in the Philippines.
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