NOW IN M4's knockout stage, ECHO PH made a statement to reach their destiny duel against Onic Indonesia in the next round, surviving a potential Team Haq comeback to squeak through with a 3-2 series win.
The series saw Frederic Benedict "Bennyqt" Gonzales take centerstage as his mechanical skills gave the Orcas the momentum.
Bennyqt backdoor strikes again
In Game 1, ECHO PH had a strong start, with Tristan "Yawi" Cabrera's Chou as the setup artist. Combined with the damage output from Karl "KarlTzy" Nepomuceno's surprise jungle Grock and Alston "Sanji" Pabico's Pharsa, Team Haq initially struggled to make any impact.
However, as the match progressed, the Malaysian squad found alternatives. With their Yu Zhong pick, Haq could limit Sanji's position and harass any backline threat. Coupled with the survivability of Dyrroth and the mobility from Irithiel, Haq weakened ECHO in teamfights.
The Orcas managed to storm back thanks to Sanford "SanFord" Vinuya and Yawi's sudden entrances that synergized well with Frederic Benedict "Bennyqt" Gonzales' calculated Karrie plays.
It was back-and-forth between these two teams until the final play, where ECHO PH feinted with the Lord against Haq.
But just like in most of ECHO's battles, Bennyqt would sneak his way to the final inhibitor, and Haq was left stunned with his sudden push, leading to ECHO's Game 1 win.
Clipping Fanny
If Game 1 was a close encounter, Game 2 seemed like Haq had the early game advantage with their Fanny pick.
Muhammad "Garyy" Syafizan became the star of the show at the early stages, but his wings were clipped due to the timed crowd control abilities of Yawi and Sanford.
With these two connecting well with Bennyqt's farmed Karrie and Sanji's Kadita, Haq was dismantled as the match went on, with the Filipinos cruising to a Game 2 win.
ECHO squeaks past Haq
Team Haq managed to bounce back in Game 3 with Garyy's snowballed Joy — and in Game 4, gave their foes a taste of their own medicine as THQ repeated ECHO's surprise backdoor inhibitor play.
At the decider, ECHO PH steamrolled the early stages of the game, reading Garyy's sudden outplays that had plagued them earlier
With Yawi's Kaja, things became difficult for Garyy to engage, and the potential poke damage from the Orcas allowed them to slowly get the objectives. With Sanji bouncing back from a questionable Game 3 outing, ECHO had the footing in the final game.
THQ struggled to deal with the composition, and ECHO survived a potential lower bracket scare from their foes.
ECHO will then face Onic Esports in the upper bracket. In the previous series, Onic dismantled the M4 dark horses, Falcon Esports, in a convincing 3-0 Kairi "Kairi" Rayosdelsol masterclass.