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    Four major storylines in MPL PH's upcoming first round playoff bouts

    The single elimination format has added more tension
    Apr 30, 2023
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    PHOTO: MPL Philippines

    THE MPL SEASON 11 playoffs is looming nearby and all six teams will have a chance to chase their dreams of becoming champions and perhaps securing their MSC 2023 slots.

    For the bottom four teams, the stakes are higher given the single elimination format of the bracket and this is further complicated by the dilemmas and other issues that they'll have to assess.

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    BLACKLIST vs. OMEGA: A fresh El Clasico experience

    All eyes will definitely be on Blacklist International and Omega Esports on Day 1 of the MPL PH playoffs as both teams are part of the historic El Clasico derby, dating all the way to the time when the members of Omega Esports were once a part of Execration.

    And for the first time since Season 8, these two teams will finally slug it out for supremacy. Both teams have fielded key veterans mixed with young promising talent that's worth the watch, especially with the added hype from Billy "Z4pnu" Alfonso's mind games.

    Where it all went wrong for Omega Esports?

    History has proven that Omega isn't a team that should be underestimated despite being on the losing end in the regular season.

    We can go back to Season 9 where ECHO PH dismantled Omega in the regular season, only for them to suffer a shocking first around sweeping exit in the playoffs.

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    Will history once again repeat? Let's look at what happened during their matchup with Blacklist this season.

    In the first series, Mico "Mikko" Tabangay struggled to find any opening as Johnmar "OhMyV33nus" Villaluna and the rest of the team hampered his engagements. This eventually exposed Mikko's lack of composure at the early stages of the season.

    The second series saw the Barangay overwhelmed by the addition of Lee Howard "Owl" Gonzales as his debut saw him synergizing well with OhMyV33nus. The chemistry between the two SEA Games gold medalists even saw Duane "Kelra" Pillas surprised.

    Based on the regular season proceedings, it seemed Omega wasn't really prepared to deal with the Codebreakers but now that the team has already encountered their foes perhaps they have the solutions ready.

    While Omega may seem like the team who can poison their rivals, there are other factors worth considering.

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    Leadership and experience vs. flexibility

    When it comes to shotcalling and leadership, no doubt Blacklist has the edge. I mean what can go wrong when you have an experienced captain and tactical mind in OhMyV33nus compared to Omega's Dale Rolan "Stowm" Vidor, who is more new to the scene as a starter and in-game leader.

    In fact this is something that should be concerning for Omega especially in the crunch time moments, where experience matters.

    While Blacklist may have the edge in terms of leadership, Omega has the advantage in terms of flexibility, as they can switch their playstyle by using Louis "Louis" Gabriel Ariola's aggressiveness or go for a more supporting and balanced role with Renz Errol "Renzio" Cadua, contrasting Blacklist who has been somewhat one dimensional since the M4 World Championship and IESF campaign.

    Kekedoot

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    ONIC PH vs. RSG SLATE PH: The rematch

    Back in Season 10, RSG Philippines was stunned by the surprise factor that Monster Anarchy turned Onic Philippines brought in the regular season.

    However once the playoffs began, the Raiders proved that their experience was the decisive factor as they swept the Hedgehogs 3-0, the perfect way for Dylan "Light" Catipon to finally avenge himself after failing to prove his point against Ralph "Rapidoot" Adrales.

    Now with a different cast of characters featuring players on a quest for redemption, the stakes are now higher for these two rivals.

    Kekedoot's time to shine

    At last after that torrid Season 7, 0-13 record with Cignal Ultra, Jefferdson "Kekedoot" Mogol has finally reached his breakthrough moment.

    In the regular season, Kekedoot made crucial setups en route to Onic's playoff berth. Combine his contributions with Nowee "Ryota" Cabailo's explosive plays and Kenneth Sablande "Nets" Barro's impressive gold lane skills and Onic already has a recipe for success.

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    But things could be different in the playoffs and this could be a boiling point for Kekedoot who will now make his playoff debut.

    Against Dylan "Light" Catipon who has been one of the best roamers this season and given his history of reaching a different level in the playoffs, Kekedoot will have a lot to consider.

    coach panda

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    Solving the jungler crisis

    If previous seasons saw Coach Brian "Panda" Lim calm and collected, this season saw him more agitated and on the edge given some of his post-game remarks.

    And with the playoff pressure stockpiling, perhaps the two-time champion coach, would have more layers of stress to deal with.

    One major headache he needs to deal with is RSG's jungler crisis as he needs to find the proper balance in terms of playstyle.

    As he once said in the press interview: "1rrad is very aggressive, he is more of a selfish, self-centered jungler who wants to get lots of farm first, meanwhile si H2wo is more of a selfless jungler, who really will sacrifice himself to the team. What I need is a balance of those two."

    With John Paul "H2wo" Salonga and John "1rrad" Abarquez offering varied playstyles, Coach Panda will have to reflect deeply especially against an Onic squad that is renowned for two things, namely Stephan "Sensui" Castillo's retribution plays and Nets' surprise backdoor antics.

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    PHOTO: MPL Philippines
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