“Pinas lang malakas!”
This was the rallying cry of millions of Filipino gamers for the last two years — a reflection of the country’s passion for Mobile Legends, and its burgeoning competitive scene.
For the last three years, Filipinos have lifted the game’s most prestigious trophy. Bren Esports started the dominance by winning M2; Blacklist International changed the game with their preeminent run in M3. Finally, the clash between Echo and Blacklist earlier this year showed how far ahead the country is in the global scene, such that this has been dubbed the “PH Era.”
With M5, Mobile Legend’s World Championship, many questioned whether the Philippine era was finally over for Mobile Legends. After all, heading into the tournament, the heavy favorite was Onic Esport, an Indonesian team that just a couple of months prior had bested the Filipino representatives at the Mobile Legends Southeast Asia Cup (MSC).
The group stage showed that the Filipino penchant for Mobile Legends was still very much active—Philippines’ top-seed AP.Bren easily topped their group. Meanwhile, second-seeded Blacklist International showed how deep their roster was, placing second in their group despite playing without their two franchise players OhmyV33nus and Wise.
Beyond the two squads, Filipinos were making their mark in other organizations. The Cambodian squad SeeYouSoon had two Filipino Imports who managed to go all the way, just shy of 4th place. Indonesia’s second seed GeekFam played with two Filipinos, Baloyskie and Marrky, with the latter stepping up when the team’s jungler was handed a two-game ban. Finally, the favorites Onic Esports had Kairi and Coach Yeb, two Filipinos who elevated the young squad to international favorites. There were also other Filipinos who took teams beyond — there’s Coach Lyrick for MENA squad Triple Esports, coach Pao of Team SMG, and coach Flysolo of Deus Volt, who turned an unknown squad from CIS to become the tournament’s dark horse.
Becoming better than great
As the tourney proceeded, it was clear that two teams stood out, favorites AP.Bren and Onic Esports. The two overcame all odds to remain the last teams standing for the grand finals.
The grand finals featured a storyline for the ages. It was the first grand finals that saw two storied nations in Mobile Legends Esports, the Philippines and Indonesia, face off after years of back-and-forth. The two finalists were also the two most dominant teams of the year, with Onic winning all the Moonton-organized competitions. A win here would make them the first team to ever achieve a grand slam. AP.Bren, on the other hand, was the international championship king, having brought home golds from the 2023 SEA Games as well as the 2023 IESF World Esports Championship.
If Onic won, they would be the first team to complete a grand slam. It would be a redemption for the young squad who stuck it out through thick and thin for a shot at glory.
Should AP.Bren win, they would be the first team ever to lift the trophy twice. It would be a massive achievement since the squad started their rebuilding a couple of years back.
AP.Bren took first blood, winning game one dominantly. Onic won game two. But then, AP.Bren took games three and four. With their backs against the wall, Onic Esports found solace in Midlaner Sanz and Goldlaner CW, who each played an amazing role in their game five and six wins, once again evening out the series and taking the game to a do-or-die game seven.
Surpassing greatness
With one game away from winning or losing it all, both teams fielded unique strategies. For Onic Esports it was bringing out a roaming mage in the form of Kadita, capable of bursting down AP.Bren’s heroes, as well as a return of control mage Yve, ultimately changed the tide of the team fight. AP.Bren returned to their earlier strategy, finding heroes that could dive the backline; they drafted Khaleed and tanky heroes in the form of Edith and Fredrinn, all being kept alive by a midline Faramis and his ultimate.
When the land of dawn beckoned for one final time, it would be AP.Bren who got her favor as their strategy proved stronger, forcing Onic Esports to make uncharacteristic mistakes as they tried to find an early game lead.
It would be a team fight around the bottom lord pit that ultimately gave AP.Bren the win as they quickly dismantled an out-of-place Onic squad. With the win, AP.Bren was rewarded with the lion’s share of the USD900,000 price pool or more than PHP1.66 million.
AP.Bren’s David Charles “FlapTzy” Canon was named as the Finals MVP, thanks to his crucial plays in the series. He was the team’s anchor with his aggressive playstyle finding crucial early-game pick-offs to give AP.Bren control of the games they won.
The win also made AP.Bren the only team in the world to have lifted the M-trophy twice. It also made AP.Bren coach Francis “Ducky” Glindro a three-time M-series winner, having been part of Evos Indonesia’s win in M1, before leading Bren to their first title win in M2. Meanwhile, Midlaner Angelo “Pheww” Arcangel and FlapTzy each earned their second title.
A showcase of Filipino passion for the game
If there was one thing that stood out beyond the games in M5, it was the fans’ passion for the game. From the group stages until the Grand Finals, Filipino fans showed their support.
“Nakakatuwa kasi sobrang daming Pinoy na sumusuporta sa amin, pero hindi din kami nagpa-overwhelm sa crowd (We felt happy because there were a lot of Pinoy supporting us, but we also didn’t let that overwhelm us),” said Rowgien “Owgwen” Unigo, the team’s roamer after their victory against Onic.
FlapTzy added that he was overwhelmed by the number of fans who came and supported the team. He said this was his first experience seeing that many people cheering for the team, and this made him feel that the whole country was really behind them.
When everything was over, the team was asked to reflect on the phrase “Pinas lang Malakas” and Flaptzy best expressed it saying, “Pinas lang malakas is for all Filipinos. Because Filipinos, even if they are at a disadvantage, will not give up.”
After all the struggles of AP.Bren, the Filipino teams, and the uncertainties of the tournament, it was the cheer “Pinas lang Malakas” that would push the teams to do the impossible and truly embody being Better than Great.
Words by Gabriel Pe
Also published in GADGETS MAGAZINE January 2024 Issue