THE NINTH Season of the MPL Philippines startedoff with an jaw-dropping rematch between two major rivals in Blacklist International and Onic PH.
After losing to the Codebreakers in two consecutive finals appearance, the Filipino Hedgehogs were determined to finally slay their demons against the newly formed Blacklist team led by their “three kings” aka the trio MVP of Edward “Edward” Jay Dapadap, Salic “Hadji” Imam, and Kiel “OHEB” Soriano.
And their revenge was finally delivered as Onic PH outlasted their foes in a 2-1 struggle.
Does Blacklist miss OhMyV33nus?
Last season, Blacklist International was able to find numerous ways to deal with Onic PH’s signature split pushing game. However, this series revealed that Onic was finally able to "break the code” as their split-pushing game completely dominated the Codebreakers.
A key to their success? Shutting down rookie Kent Xavier “KEVIER” Lopez’s jungle control was crucial, most evident in Games 1 and 3 as he was lagging behind in terms of gold and experience accumulation compared to his rival, Kairi “Kairi” Rayosdelsol.
Then Onic made important counterattacking setups as seen with how they dealt with Edward “Edward” Jay Dapadap’s and Mark Jayson “ESON” Gerardo’s engagements.
Then there are the early game outplays as seen with how Gerald “Dlarskie” Trinchera commanded the top lane in Game 3.
It was clear that Blacklist doesn’t have the same systematic approach compared to last season, which could raise concerns on how badly the team misses Johnmar “OhMyV33nus” Villaluna’s shotcalling.
Blacklist still has the strategic mind
Yet amid some issues with their execution, Blacklist’s strategic prowess remains. In Game 2, a Hilda pick and a rush for items for items to reduce Onic’s magic damage actually helped them recover in the 8th minute.
Then in Game 3, the Codebreakers was able to recover from a rough start, as they capitalized on the late game damage from their Aulus, Brody, and Dyrroth picks: three heroes that intimidated Onic to finish the game.
Given the outcome, Blacklist could still regain their edge in the latter weeks especially once the team finally discovered their winning formula.
Onic has a lot to prove this season
During the series, Kairi’s Fanny was a dominant force, racking an 8/2/7 statline. But during the post-match interview, he revealed that he was initially hesitant in unveiling this hero.
“Noong nakaraang season, hirap na hirap ako kase kabado pa ako noon eh, pero ngayon may confidence na ako mag-fanny,” said the Onic PH jungler.
He later revealed the team’s objective for Season 9.
“Gusto po namin mag-number one sa regular season tapos itutuloy namin yung lakas namin na mag-dominate ng playoffs at mag-champion.
Meanwhile his teammate and captain, Allen Jedric “Baloyskie” Baloy, revealed an important reflection he had while leading his team.
“Sa akin lagi akong nagre-reflect sa sarili ko eh kase minsan naiinis ako sa scrim namin eh. May mga times na nati-tilt ako or naiinis ako sa kanila. After ng day na yun, nagre-reflect ako. Lagi ko nang tinitingnan kung saan ako mag-i-improve as a leader,” said the Onic PH shotcaller.
And similar to Kairi, he expressed his desire to prove a point.
“Sa akin, gusto kong patunayan na hindi lang kami pang-runner-up hindi lang sa Pilipinas pati na rin sa ibang bansa."
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