FOR A chance to finally secure the number one seed in Group B for the IESF SEA Qualifiers, the Philippines faced Myanmar for the final game.
Given the caliber and talent pool of the Philippines — which consists of members from Blacklist International — the Philippines were heavily favored to win the matchup. But the Burmese squad pulled off a surprise 2-0 sweep.
Even so, Sibol will still proceed to the next stage in Bali, Indonesia.
Myanmar surprises Sibol
In Game 1, the Philippines suffered a major blow from the beginning all the way to the end. Myanmar went overly aggressive with a 4-man rotation consisting of Fay Yan’s Akai, Simple's Diggie, Px7’s Lunox, and Boss Milk’s Esmeralda.
Their priority was to topple the gold lane as they gave Kiel “Oheb” Soriano a torrid time. Even when the other members from the Codebreakers responded, the team was left surprised by Myanmar’s hyper-aggressive playstyle, especially from Boss Milk’s sudden entrances.
Historically, Blacklist has been known to bounce back from opponents during their matchups, but it didn’t happen in Game 1 as Myanmar systematically dismantled their rivals.
With the dynamic duo of Px7 and Juno, the Burmese squad would alternate their movements to weaken the Codebreakers, ultimately giving Myanmar a surprising Game 1 win.
Game 2 saw Myanmar pull off a Mobile Legends masterclass, dictating the pace from the get-go.
Their jungle control was too much as Fay Yan’s Balmond was given easy access to the Turtle. Then, when it came to teamfights, Blacklist was outclassed.
Johnmar “OhMyV33nus” Villaluna’s Lolita would try to go for the Noumenon Blast, but he was denied by Simple’s Atlas. And speaking of Simple, he was the star of the show as his combos would surprise the Codebreakers left and right.
A single Fatal Links play cemented Myanmar's momentum, and Simple was able to land a connection with the AOE damage from Fay Yan’s Balmond and Px7’s Lunox.
In the end, the Philippines was left speechless from these assaults, signaling their Game 2 defeat.
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