ELEVATE PuK met a familiar foe in China’s Q9 Qing Jiu Club in the grand finals of the 2025 Call of Duty: Mobile World Championship in Katowice, Poland but this time it’s going home with a different result.
The Philippine CODM powerhouse paraded by John “Yop1” Manalang, Patrick “Peejay” Sagudo, Karlo “kLo” Morales, Justin “Susanoo” Cecilio, and John Kenneth “KenDy” Pimentel, alongside their coach Mark Alexis “Olea” Olea, will have to settle for second place after falling to Q9 in a thrilling seven-game series, 4-3.
Elevate PuK swept the same team last season, but it couldn’t replicate the same result facing a much improved Q9 time this time around.
“Masasabi ko na malaki talaga na improve ng [Q9] sa respawns [game modes] kaya din kami nahirapan lalo sa SnD [search and destroy] nila compared last year,” Olea shared following their tough loss.
He mentioned they have become a target after winning it all last year, with teams studying and even mimicking how they play, leading to this victory by Q9.
“Napansin ko na lahat na ng teams nakapag adapt na ng playstyle namin, lalo sila [Q9].”
The grand finals breakdown: Q9 outlasts Elevate in a thriller
The grand finals started with Q9 entering the series with a 1-0 lead after punching their ticket first from the upper bracket finals.
However, Elevate came out swinging in Map 1 – Hardpoint at Apocalypse to open the series.
The Filipinos showcased strong map control and better spawn management to eventually take a 250-201 win, tying the series immediately at 1-1.
Q9 immediately bounced back, dominating in its signature mode in Map 2 – Search and Destroy at Coastal to secure a commanding 7-1 victory and take a 2-1 series lead.
Relying on their mastery of spawn-based modes, Elevate responded with a convincing 3-1 win in Map 3 – Control at Raid to even things up once more at 2-2.
Then for the first time in the series, Q9 broke through Elevate’s Hardpoint dominance, snatching a crucial victory in Map 4 – Hardpoint at Summit to take the series lead back to 3-2, putting the reigning champions on the brink of elimination.
What followed was arguably the best game of the finals. Q9 built an early 2-0 lead in Map 5 – Control at Crossfire, but Elevate showcased championship composure – mounting a stunning comeback to force a deciding fifth round, where it clutched the win 3-2 to complete the reverse sweep and pushed the series to a dramatic final map with the series tied at 3-3.
But when it mattered most, Q9 proved why it’s one of the best tactical teams in the world and asserted dominance in their preferred game mode in Map 6 – Search and Destroy at Firing Range.
The squad’s precision, discipline, and calculated setups overwhelmed Elevate, dominating the match 7-1 and sealing the 4-3 series victory to seize the long-awaited CODM world title for China.
When asked about what he thought went wrong, Olea elaborated Elevate might have put too much emphasis on a particular game mode.
He also shared how big of a factor is playing in the CDM, China’s premium CODM tournament which pits teams from other regions coming to China to consistently play with Chinese teams. He stressed that would have helped them prepare better and could have possibly helped them in the long run.
“Napansin kong pagkukulang namin masyado kami nag focus sa respawns, hindi na rin kami masyado nakapag-handa sa SnD nila. Malaking bagay din ang CDM (Chinese CODM tournament) if nakasali kami doon, para lalo namin maimprove yung SnD namin and experience bago mag world championship,” he said.
The aftermath: Elevate places 2nd, Stalwart grabs 3rd
It was still a valiant campaign for Elevate, who battled its way through adversity all tournament long as the defending champions endured a tough road back to the championship match.
After surviving a tough five-game upper bracket semifinal against another team from China in Wolves Esports, the Filipinos got swept by Q9 in the upper bracket finals and were forced to claw back through the lower bracket.
In a bittersweet twist, Elevate eliminated fellow Filipino squad Stalwart Esports 3–0 in the lower bracket finals to earn its rematch with Q9.
Despite falling short of a back-to-back world title, Elevate’s consistency has cemented their legacy as one of the most dominant teams in CODM history. They will take home $135,000 in prize money, or roughly 8 million pesos.
“Masasabi ko na maganda pa rin pinakita namin dahil ginapang namin yung lower bracket at umabot sa Game 7 kaya masasabi ko na proud ako sa team kung ano man ang narating namin ngayon,” Olea said.
Meanwhile, fellow PH bet Stalwart Esports capped off its mpressive World campaign this year by finishing 3rd overall.
After a strong run in the group stages and early playoffs, Stalwart’s campaign ended at the hands of Elevate. However, Stalwart’s top-three finish marked a major milestone for the organization and the country overall, proving that Philippine CODM talent runs deep.
With only two regional slots awarded to teams from the Philippines and Southeast Asia for this year’s world championship, both teams maximized the opportunity – finishing second and third among 16 global squads from North America, China, Europe, Latin America, Japan, India, and Africa.
Even if the outcome was far from what they desired, Olea and Elevate are grateful for the experience and the opportunity to represent the country in the field of esports.
“Nagpapasalamat ako sa Diyos kung di dahil sa kanya wala kami dito – malaking karangalan marepresent namin ang Pilipinas sa world championship kaya binigay nain best namin.”
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