WHILE Season 8 marked the dominance of Blacklist International and Onic PH, Season 9 saw a very different tale, as each team rocked the regular season standings.
Even the eliminated teams — the V33Wise-less Blacklist International, the rookie-led Bren Esports — were able to secure inspired victories against the likes of RSG PH, Nexplay EVOS, and ECHO PH, which ultimately led to a Week 8 brawl for the final playoff spots.
The overall unpredictability of the season carries on all the way to the playoffs. For TNC and RSG PH, this could be their moment to take over the spotlight. For Nexplay and Omega, this could be their long-awaited redemption arc.
As for Onic and ECHO, they can capitalize on this spectacle and silence the doubts surrounding them.
We try to answer the most pressing questions coming into the Season 9 playoffs.

Are TNC and RSG legit title contenders?
Both the Phoenix and the Raiders managed to impress in the regular season as both teams exceeded everyone’s expectations and secured the top two seeds. They even featured a solid cast of MVP candidates in their rosters. Blacklist's Coach Kristoffer “BON CHAN” Ricaplaza even predicted that RSG might be the champions this season.
Their ascent has been an inspiring narrative in Season 9, as RSG transformed from a chopseuy cast that struggled to finish games to a legitimate title contender. The same goes for TNC, who ended with a disappointing last place finish in Season 8 after a surprising Season 7 run, only for them to stun everyone in Season 9 with a team filled with unproven talent.
While being at the top has its benefits, it also has some drawbacks. For both teams, this is their first time in the top seeds, and we have no idea how they'll respond to the pressure.
And though the likes of Ben Seloe “Benthings” Maglaque and Dylan “Light” Catipon have proven that they could shine under the weight of expectations, the playoff atmosphere might change everything. Can these two teams follow the footsteps of Sunsparks and Onic PH in Season 4?

Is ECHO PH becoming predictable?
Based on Orca's recent losing streak, it could be argued that the team might be on a decline after an explosive showing in the first few weeks.
We were amazed with Tristan “Yawi” Cabrera’s sudden Diggie pick, or that Johnson-Kadita or KJ combo that initially shackled the league. And the team showed how deep their hero pool went, especially knowing that their signature Yu Zhong pick can be interchanged between Frediemar “3MarTzy” Serafico and Frederic Benedict “Bennyqt” Gonzales.
But it's hard to deny the glaring downward trend of the team as the regular season winded down, which could be a telltale sign that the team has already been decoded. In fact, their matches reveal a pattern where the Yu Zhong pick is used to zone out the backlines or the Chou + Vale pick is used to pick off key threats.
However, Coach Michael Angelo “Arcadia” Bocado mentioned that his team is still adjusting with the recent patch updates, and they could once again surprise their foes in the playoffs once they mastered the patch.

Has Nexplay overcome their mental block?
Nexplay EVOS’ season will always be marked with one unfortunate incident, when a traffic jam and DQ against ECHO PH caused a domino effect that reverberated throughout the rest of Nexplay's campaign. To compound to their woes, bashers piled up on top of John Paul “H2wo” Salonga.
While the team mentioned that the notorious incident ultimately caused their downfall, they did manage to overcome the doubts centered on them with a surprise sweep on ECHO PH.
Yet it remains a mystery if the team’s mental fortitude following that controversial incident was the only problem that they endured this season as one may argue that their decision to constantly rotate their roster is also another factor to consider.

Has Onic PH found the winning formula?
While Allen Jedric “Baloyskie” Baloy tweeted about the potential of him and Jaylord “Hatred” Gonzales exploding in a full season after an impressive showing in the M3 World Championship, it can be argued that the team’s decision to constantly shift their lineup in the last few weeks could reveal a different narrative.
Coach Paul Denver “Yeb” Miranda mentioned that he decided to field Nowee “Ryota” Cabailo over Gerald “Dlarskie” Trinchera as the former fits the teamfight oriented system.
Then there were cases where Paul Ian “Beemo” Sergio and Karl Mico “Micophobia” Tarala was chosen over Allen Jedric “Baloyskie” Baloy, indicating that the team has yet to find their identity after the patch update.
But the issues that the team endured could go beyond the Land of Dawn as Coach BON CHAN hinted some issues happening inside the bootcamp which have yet to be revealed.

Is Omega’s “Never Say Die” spirit enough?
While Barangay Omega still has that “Never Say Die” spirit, the team did make the necessary changes to make sure that they don’t overly depend on their late game clutch gene.
Now, the team would try to invade the jungle led by the trio of Joshua “Ch4knu” Mangilog, Patrick James “E2MAX” Caidic, and Dean Christian “Raizen” Samagui. These adjustments, first seen back in Season 8, were important as teams have slowly begun to dissect their defensive prowess during the MSC.
However, when the situation called for them to erupt, they managed to pull through and overcome the odds. This was seen in their last few games as they swept their rivals Nexplay EVOS and Blacklist International, while securing a crucial series win over Bren Esports.
When E2MAX was asked about the team’s resurgence, he gave a nod to Omega's tendency to come up clutch. “Basta napre-pressure kami doon kami gumagaling.”
However they’ll be up against ECHO PH, who dominated them during the regular season, and it would be interesting to see if they truly live up to their “Ginebra” comparison.
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