BLACKLIST International’s momentous victory over Onic Indonesia has carried over to their matchup against Brazilian runner-ups Keyd Stars.
While their previous encounter was a slugfest between the two teams, their recent matchup was a one-sided affair as the Codebreakers brushed their foes aside with a convincing 3-0 sweep.
Blacklist shuts down Luiizz
Since Game 1, Blacklist dominated the top lane as Luiz “Luiizz” Henrique Alves was struggling to gain any momentum. His rival, Kiel “OHEB” Soriano was having a breeze, all thanks to the rotations from Johnmar “OhMyV33nus” Villaluna and Salic “Hadji” Imam.
Though he was able to make an impact at the latter stages of the game due to his split pushing antics, the Codebreakers adjusted and immediately bursted him down with a 5-man gank.
Things even went to a catastrophic level for Keyd Stars in Game 2 as Luiizz’ Aldous was outmatched by OHEB’s Clint, which led to the one sided 11-0 stomp.
Baptism for the Brazilian squad
While Game 1 could’ve been a turnaround for the Brazilian team as they capitalized on Danerie James “Wise” Del Rosario’s awkward overextension at the 8th minute, Game 2 was a massacre.
Coach Cabral’s drafting was heavily criticized as he drafted an extremely greedy draft with Esmeralda, Ling, and Aldous.
In the end his team was thoroughly punished as Blacklist capitalized on this flaw led by the rotations from Wise, OhMyV33nus, and Hadji, as well as the matchup advantages per lane.
Besides the 11-0 domination, Keyd Stars failed to gain any damage on the turrets.
And that baptism of fire continued in Game 3, where Blacklist surprised their foes with a varied drafting, from Hadji’s Clint, Wise’s Natan, and OHEB’s Alice.
The burst damage they brought, combined with OhMyV33nus’ Mathilda plays, caused a lot of chaos on the Brazilian team since the early game.
And to further dampen their spirits was Edward “Edward” Jay Dapadap’s 1-v-1 dominance on the toplane, leading to their 12-1 Game 3 massacre.
Blacklist will be waiting for the results of the Upper Bracket semifinals between RRQ and Onic PH to determine their next opponents.
Edward reveals team's humble approach
Edward's performances saw him guns blazing as his Uranus made the crucial 16th minute play to secure the Codebreakers' win in Game 1 as well as a mano-y-mano masterclass in Game 3.
During the post-match interview, he talked about his team's motivations for delivering an inspired performance. It was a simple one: “Kase hindi pa kami kontento sa 6th place, gusto namin champion e.”
Back-to back matches also helped fuel their drive, said Blacklist's EXP laner.
“Siguro momentum din kase ayun nga nanalo kami kahapon tapos may laban ngayon so nag-iinit kami ngayon. Kung meron man laban bukas game kami."
The series was also notable for Blacklist's visible respect for their foes, with host Mara Aquino pointing out their muted celebrations after every match. Edward explained the reasons for the team's humility.
“Siguro respeto sa isa’t isa. Gusto namin walang toxic sa community,” he said.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
