IT WAS a much-awaited dream matchup as ECHO PH’s super team was challenged by the V33Wise-led Blacklist International on the final day of Week 3.
But in the end, the Orcas stood tall over the Codebreakers, winning the series 2-1.
This is the first time that Blacklist International suffered from back-to-back losses under the V33Wise era.
ECHO PH surprises the Codebreakers
In Game 1, ECHO PH was stunned by Blacklist’s lethal combo of Diggie and Balmond, and they couldn’t utilize their Cult Altar move from Alston “Sanji” Pabico as he badly mistimed his signature skill.
In Game 2, the Orcas made a major shift as Tristan “Yawi” Cabrera decided to go for an unusual sustain support hero pick. With his Rafaela, the Orcas found the proper response.
Diggie was an annoying foe in Game 1, but the hero's slow effect was denied by the mobility and sustain from the Arcangel. Add Sanji’s Faramis to the mix, and ECHO packed a lot of survivability in every teamfight.
Though the Codebreakers had a ton of damage options, the sustain levels, combined with the explosiveness from Frederic Benedict “Bennyqt” Gonzales’ Wanwan and the rotations from Karl “KarlTzy” Nepomuceno, were too much for Blacklist, forcing them to concede Game 2.
At the decider, both teams started strong. It seemed Blacklist would weather the storm as they controlled KarlTzy’s jungle momentum by denying his signature Julian pick and limiting his Thamuz from the beginning.
Thamuz was not even KarlTzy’s primary jungle hero, given his preference for explosive and highly mobile heroes.
But at the latter stages of the game, ECHO found the key to unlock the Codebreakers.
It began with a 12th minute conceal play where ECHO eliminated “Kiel “Oheb” Soriano. Then, at the following minute, a clutch hook shot from Yawi denied OhMyV33nus’ Lolita, which limited Blacklist’s defensive options.
To make matters worse, Blacklist couldn’t force their way to stomp Sanji’s Yve, which gave room for the Orcas to prevail in a grueling Game 3 battle.
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