TWO TEAMS travelling a glorious pathway went head-to-head in the grand finale of the M5 World Championship as the gold medal winning AP.Bren challenged the grandslam seeking Onic Esports.
While both teams had a spectacular 2023 outing, in the end it was AP.Bren who prevailed and won the world championship with a dominant 4-3 series win. Bren likewise proved that the PH-era is still alive.
Bren realized that their biggest win condition stem from disrupting Onic's momentum given the latter's reliance on it.
Ang Pinalakas, Bren Lang Malakas!
AP.Bren learned from their mistakes in their previous matchup as they commanded Game 1. Unlike their upper bracket battle, Bren was calculated from the beginning until the end.
With the perfect gameplan, centered on shutting down Kairi "Kairi" Rayosdelsol and Calvin "CW" Winata, and with Onic struggling to deal with Bren's tanky lineup, the Bees gave Onic a painful sting that set the tone of the series.
While the Bees nearly won the 2nd game, they lost the final clashes allowing the Procupines to bounce back.
And it seems they would succumb to the final game as AP.Bren failed to ban a final hero. Is Coach Francis "Ducky" Glindro playing mind games?
It seems that was the case in Game 3 as AP.Bren aggressively disrupted Onic's early-to-mid game all thanks to Rowgien "Owgwen" Unigo's roaming Arlott.
It was difficult for Onic to engage especially with Angelo Kyle "Pheww" Arcangel's Gord which limited any entrances, and Onic was forced to concede in Game 3.
However during the press conference, Coach Ducky admitted that the team failed to lock in a hero as the timer went off.
As the series went on, each member from Bren proved their value and this was evident in Game 4 where Kyle "KyleTzy" Sayson made crucial engagements with his Akai, shutting down key members from Onic.
It eventually led to Marco "Super Marco" Requitano snowballing and Onic was left stunned. Not even Kairi's signature Hayabusa could salvage the game as Bren reached match point.
Bren tried to finish things as they relied on the micro movements of Owgwen, FlapTzy, and Pheww to salvage a potential late game victory however Onic survived and forced a Game 6.
But Onic's fighting spirit kept on going as they forced a Game 7 since they were able to discover Bren's gameplan. Given that the Bees would constantly disrupt their lanes, Onic made sure that they were well prepared.
And so came the do-or-die Game 7, where Bren kept on shutting down Kairi and Sanz.
Onic didn't deploy meta-centric heroes, giving Bren an advantage in the crucial must win game.
With both not having any momentum, Bren simply took control of the match and slayed the demons of their past.
Given their victory, Bren became the first team to win two world championship trophies in the MLBB esports scene. They likewise ended the home country curse.
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