IF THE previous day exhibited mixed results for the Filipino representatives, the second day of the Mobile Legends Southeast Asia Cup 2021 playoffs displayed a dominant performance.
Execration began their lower bracket playoff campaign with a loss as their overreliance on the late game — as well as their double K connection between Duane “Kelra” Pillas and Kiel VJ “Kielvj” Hernandez — was dissected by Impunity KH.
This forced them to make a tactical shift by going aggressive in Games 2 and 3. They easily dispatched the Cambodian underdogs in both games, ending their Cinderella run.
Their new playstyle carried on in their next series against Resurgence MY, and it proved to be an overwhelming force as the Filipinos swept the MPL-MY champions. Joshua “Ch4knu” Mangilog made crucial setups in the early to mid-game intervals of both games, which created space for his teammates to unleash their abilities.
While Execration grinded their way from the lower bracket, their local rivals, Blacklist International, breezed their way to the grand finals.
They were expected to encounter heavy resistance from the MPL-ID champions, EVOS Legends, but it turned out to be a one-sided stomp since all three games lasted in less than 14 minutes.
Blacklist initially struggled against EVOS’s early game teamfights, as Hafizhan Hidayatullah “Clover” Mirzaputra’s surprise entrances with his Lunox weakened their “ultimate bonding experience” strategy in Game 1.
However they recovered in the latter stages of the game, courtesy of Danerie James “Wise” Del Rosario’s Brody. His damage outburst became an integral piece in chasing key targets, leading to their momentous victory.
EVOS tried to respond by weakening Kiel Calvin “OHEB” Soriano’s Harith by drafting Zhask in Game 2, but it didn’t seem to affect the codebreakers, who simply outplayed their antics.
The Indonesians tried one last attempt to salvage their finals berth through their Phoveus pick, but to no avail as Blacklist simply cruised past them in Game 3.
Both Execration and EVOS Legends will face each other in the lower bracket finals. The winner of that series will face Blacklist International in the grand finale.
EVOS previously won over Execration in their previous matchup in a three game slugfest, but Execration’s revamped tactical approach could potentially surprise them in their upcoming best-of-five encounter.
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