FILIPINO Call of Duty: Mobile (CODM) teams SKAERI and LEAP Esports Unbound emerged victorious in the inaugural Garena Elite Philippines (GEP) 2026 offline grand finals, capturing the national titles for Multiplayer (MP) and Battle Royale (BR), respectively, on Sunday, May 23, at the SMX Aura Convention Center in BGC, Taguig.
The landmark tournament, which featured a combined $40,000 prize pool, marked the first local CODM LAN event in the Philippines to feature both MP and BR on the same competitive stage.
SKAERI survives MG Oblivion to capture GEP MP crown
SKAERI outlasted MG Oblivion in a hard-fought 3-1 victory in the MP grand finals to become the first-ever GEP Multiplayer champions.
The newly formed squad opened the series with a narrow 250-240 win in Hardpoint at Combine before MG Oblivion answered back with a 9-5 victory in Search and Destroy at Meltdown. But SKAERI regained full control afterward, sweeping Control at Crossroads Strike, 3-0, before closing out the series with a convincing 250-193 win in Hardpoint at Hacienda.
Following the championship win, SKAERI credited their preparation in respawn game modes for helping them secure the title. “Pinag-aralan po talaga namin yung laruan nila sa spawns para makuha namin yung panalo. Malaking tulong din si Elevate kLo na tinulungan kami mag-prepare para sa laban namin,” the team shared in the postgame interview.
Despite playing in front of a crowd that heavily favored their opponents, SKAERI said they embraced the pressure of competing on LAN and used it as motivation.
“Iba yung pressure pag LAN compared kung online lang nilalaro ang games. Ginawa na lang naming motivation yun para mapanalunan yung championship.”
Mamra also expressed confidence in the team’s future, believing SKAERI has the potential to become one of the next top squads in the Philippine CODM scene.
“Naniniwala ako na kami yung magiging next Elevate, and siguro need lang namin ng more discipline pa.”
With the win, SKAERI secured the lion’s share of the MP prize pool worth $8,000, or around PHP 500,000, while also establishing themselves as one of the rising teams to watch heading into Garena Masters Season 11 and the upcoming CODM World Championship qualifiers.
LEAP Esports Unbound dominates BR field for historic title
In the Battle Royale division, LEAP Esports Unbound delivered a commanding performance across six maps to secure the first-ever GEP BR championship.
LEAP immediately separated themselves from the field after winning the first three maps of the finals, taking victories in Isolated, Blackout, and Rebirth Island behind a balanced mix of placement points and eliminations.
By the end of the third map, LEAP had already built a massive 73-point total, including 43 elimination points and 30 standing points after finishing first in all three rounds. Their dominant start gave them a 30-point advantage over the second-placed team.
Although Rigid TSG and GNR Esports managed to win later rounds to keep the standings competitive, LEAP’s early cushion proved too large to overcome as they maintained control until the end of the tournament.
After clinching the title, the team reflected on the journey that led them to becoming the first CODM BR LAN champions in the country. “Sobrang nag-pay off yung paghihirap namin para makuha namin ang champion na to, kaya sobrang saya namin.”
Team captain MJ revealed that LEAP’s success came from a disciplined and methodical approach to the BR format.
“Usually passive talaga yung setup ng team namin. Hindi talaga kami gumagamit ng snowboard sa game. Pina-prioritize namin yung magandang spots, high ground, at placement sa mapa.”
H4sbulla added that the team prioritized positioning inside the safe zone rather than chasing unnecessary fights. “We prioritized our game plan today na mapunta sa loob ng zone. Kahit hindi kami nakakakuha ng sobrang daming kills, nakakuha kami ng placings kaya nakaangat kami.”
For LEAP, chemistry and trust ultimately became the foundation of their championship run. “Prinactice talaga namin yung chemistry at teamwork namin kasi hindi ka mananalo mag-isa sa tournament. Kailangan mo yung mga kakampi mo na magtitiwala sayo,” H4sbulla said.
The team also vowed to continue improving as they look ahead to bigger competitions later this year.
“Mas pagbubutihan pa namin, mas lalo pa kami maggrind sa game, at aasahan niyo na makikita niyo kami palagi sa top 3.”
RIGID TSG finished 1st runner up while 4Kings placed 2nd runner up in the tournament that saw LEAP Unbound claim the biggest size of the prize pool at 7,000 USD.
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