BOOM Esports kicked off its Honor of Kings International Championship (KIC) 2025 campaign on a high after surviving Indonesia’s Kagendra, while Elevate stumbled against Malaysia’s HomeBois Black Shrew Esport on Day 1 at the Shooting Gallery Studio in Makati City.
Let’s look back at how the Filipino squad fought hard to represent the nation with pride on the KIC stage.
Booming to the upper bracket
Boom Esports advanced to the Upper Bracket Finals of Group C after outclassing Kagendra of Indonesia with a hard-fought 3-2 victory on Day 1 of the KIC 2025 Group Stage.
Kagendra set the tone early in Game 1, pushing Boom Esports back with relentless pressure to seize map control and secure key objectives.
Miguel “Miggie” Banaag, playing Biron, tried to spark a teamfight in the bottom lane at the 4-minute period and successfully baited Kagendra’s Emanuel “Senko” Paska into using Yuhuan’s Unending Sorrow, but Kagendra quickly retaliated with a counterengage that forced Boom Esports to retreat.
However, Indonesia’s relentless aggression proved overwhelming, breaking through Boom Esports’ brave stand and closing the opener at 10-2 in just 11 minutes.
Zhao "LanFeng" Enlei, playing as Chano, earned the MVP badge with an impressive 4-1-7 KDA.
Game 2 saw both Boom Esports and Kagendra playing safely, refusing to give away early kills until a tense 10-minute clash near the Enhanced Tyrant, where Farhan “iHanss” Ardiansyah’s Mayene took down Miggie’s Yao.
Miggie’s zoning capabilities on Yao created the perfect window for Karl “Karlll” Bautista’s Agudo to take the Vanguard smoothly at the 12-minute mark.
Boom Esports took advantage of the situation and tied the best-of-five series at 1-1, with just two members of Kagendra remaining to defend.
John "Daniii" Bulanadi, playing as Ao’Yin, led Boom Esports’ charge with a perfect 2-0-3 KDA.
In Game 3, Boom Esports faced a challenging early game against Kagendra, but the Filipino squad remained patient and composed under pressure, which ultimately paid off during the Tyrant contention at the 15-minute mark.
Miggie’s Mayene popped off with a double kill at the 16-minute mark, paving Boom Esports’ way for a full run down and securing the game-winning ace against Kagendra.
Karlll on Menki stole the spotlight and powered up Boom Esports to a 2-1 match point with a stellar 2-0-5 KDA.
In Game 4, both teams fought fiercely, but LanFeng’s Lady Sun executed a game-winning triple kill at the bottom lane, allowing Kagendra to secure a clean ace and force the series to a thrilling Game 5 with a 2-2 tie.
The Game 4 MVP was none other than LanFeng, delivering a masterclass on marksmanship with a stellar 6-0-5 KDA.
In Game 5, Kagendra pushed Boom Esports against the wall once again, but the Filipino squad knew what to do best in times of pressure and turned everything around.
Miggie, playing as Fuzi, made a worthy sacrifice to zone out Kagendra during the 10-minute teamfight at the middle lane, allowing Boom Esports to take down the turret, gain control of the map, and secure the Vanguard objective uncontested.
Boom Esports dominated the final stretch, securing a thrilling win against Indonesia’s Kagendra on the first day of the KIC 2025 Group Stage.
Reniel "Dr4w" Angara on Da Qiao stepped up big time and pulled off a perfect 2-0-6 KDA.
Boom Esports advanced to the Group C Upper Bracket Finals in the Honor of Kings International Championship 2025, but the opponent of the Filipino representatives is still to be determined between Alpha Gaming and RRQ.
HomeBois denies Elevate’s ascent
Malaysia Honor of Kings League (MKL) Fall 2025 champions HomeBois BSE dominated Filipino squad Elevate with a clean 3-0 sweep on the opening day of the Group Stage.
HomeBois BSE showcased flawless discipline and tactical precision in Game 1, dominating Elevate and not conceding any deaths until the 8-minute mark.
Tat Yann "MusangKing" Chan, as Nezha, dominated the battlefield with a perfect 5-0-3 KDA, scoring a double kill in the final siege to lead HomeBois BSE to the opening victory.
Elevate put up a strong fight, but HomeBois BSE’s aggressive tempo proved too much to handle, with Yit Siang "GuiYu" Wong on Mayene racking up a legendary kill score in the final turret push.
Li Zhe "Zhe" Low on Zhang Fei was a reliable frontliner and delivered a 1-1-12 KDA.
HomeBois BSE refused to prolong the series any further and swept Elevate with a lopsided 26-5 score in Game 3.
Zhe, playing Yuhuan, earned another MVP honor after racking up an impressive 3-0-19 KDA.
Elevate dropped to the Lower Bracket Semifinals as HomeBois BSE advanced to the Group B Upper Bracket Finals.
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