THE mission was clear for the SIBOL Men's MLBB team entering the 33rd Southeast Asian Games - keep a stranglehold on regional supremacy by winning its fourth consecutive gold medal in the games.
Mission accomplished. Four-peat completed.
The Philippines dominated Malaysia in the MLBB Men's tournament grand finals with a clean 4-0 sweep on Wednesday, to continue the country's streak in the game in its introduction as an official medal event in 2019.
SIBOL Men was so dominant that it only dropped one game for the entire tournament - sweeping the group stage without much resistance, before conceding one game against fellow regional powerhouse Indonesia in the semis.
That only set up that masterful performance against Malaysia in the finals, where the Philippines was just simply looked levels higher than its counterparts.
SIBOL ng kampeonato
In Game 1, the Philippines leaned on the signature Lancelot of Karl “KarlTzy” Nepomuceno (PHI.Nepomuceno), steadily building a 5,000–6,000 gold advantage while maintaining firm control of objectives despite Malaysia’s early midlane pressure.
Kiel “Oheb” Soriano took center stage as Granger, unleashing a deadly double kill in the 12-minute base turret siege to secure Philippines’ opening win, finishing with a dominant 9-1-9 KDA.
In Game 2, the Philippines largely stuck to its Game 1 formula — again fielding Lancelot, Lapu-Lapu, and Granger—but Malaysia read the draft well and seized early control.
However, Malaysia’s early advantage unraveled when PHI. Nepomuceno’s Lancelot claimed the second Turtle, followed by PHI. Soriano’s double kill in a decisive five-minute clash inside the mid-lane jungle.
PHI. Soriano once again stole the spotlight with a maniac kill score during the last turret siege, and delivered an impressive 10-1-1 KDA performance to bring PH to 2-0 lead against Malaysia.
Malaysia showed no signs of surrender in Game 3, controlling the pace from the early to mid game—until the Philippines rallied for an epic comeback.
The turning point came at the 19-minute Lord dance, when the Philippines eliminated three Malaysian players behind a double kill from Sanford “Sanford” Vinuya (PHI. VInuya), playing as Terizla.
Passing on the Lord objective, the Philippines gambled on a top-lane run down that paid off, wiping out Malaysia and locking in a 3-0 match point.
Jaypee “Jaypee” Dela Cruz (PHI. Dela Cruz), playing as Gatotkaca, was a steady force in the frontlines with a 2-4-12 KDA.
In Game 4, the Philippines wasted no time dismantling Malaysia, closing the match in just 13 minutes behind a double kill from PHI. Nepomuceno during the final base turret siege.
PHI. Dela Cruz on Gatotkaca once again made his presence felt with a 1-1-18 KDA performance in the gold-clinching win.
The Philippines can get two gold medals in the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang tournament if the SIBOL Women can do the same against Malaysia in the afternoon game.
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