After ending the regular season with a 1-1, the super team is looking to settle their score with the world champions as they vie for the first ticket for the upcoming M4 World Championship. Will the M2 MVP, KarlTzy, and his squad be able to break the code once more or will the shot-calling prowess of OhMyV33nus finally secure the victory for her team? Who will draw blood as the lauded super team goes head to head against the current best team in the world?

It was bold to prioritize Oheb’s Claude over Valentina which then fell into the hands of ECHO’s Sanji. Especially with a Diggie and a Pharsa in your arsenal, both of which are extremely dependent on their ultimates, this was a card that ECHO could play and a risk that Blacklist was willing to take. The early game prowess of KarlTzy’s Karina proved to be of high importance to their team as they easily took the advantage earlier on by securing the first two (2) turtles, and a 4-0 kill lead. They capitalized on this lead that despite Blacklist pushing back, they knew they had the upper hand. Their lead was displayed in this almost wipeout gameplay in the top lane during the first lord take, only leaving the Queen alive. However, the fast clearing of minion waves coming from Hadji’s Pharsa, Oheb’s Claude, and Edward’s Benedetta neutralized the lead that their opponents have been getting.

In high-stakes and high-pressured games such as this, it only takes a single mistake, a single crack on the enemy’s armor that the team can capitalize on to reclaim the game. It was this perfect synchronicity and chemistry between Edward and Hadji that displayed this crack. This gave them room to breathe and try to retake the advantage against their enemy. 25 minutes into the game, the crucial pick-offs of the Agents against SanFord’s Esmeralda and KarlTzy signify that they are back in the game. While the lord marches against the Orcas, it was a 3v5 scenario and one in which the super team is highly disadvantaged. Blacklist turns the tides against them as they take Game #1. 

In what looks to be a draft that is highly favored by Blacklist International, prioritizing Oheb’s Claude, Hadji’s Pharsa, and OhMyV33nus’ Diggie, everyone was shocked as the team confidently picked Guinevere for Wise. It did not faze ECHO’s KarlTzy in the Balmond, however, as he marched forward, out jungling Wise until the second turtle of the match. Blacklist’s impeccable objective trading ensured they do not lag behind—getting turrets in the top and bottom lanes. ECHO was left unable to react to the heist and pressure that their opponents have been giving them—their perfect layering and synchronization of the skills, the Feathered Air Strike, Falling Star Moon, and Blazing Duet combo from the MV3 shredded and easily secured the upper hand for their team during team fights. This forces their enemy to merely react with their advances as the seemingly directionless House of Highlights does not put in the fight that we all know they can give. Can they bounce back when BLCK is merely one way away from snatching the first ticket to M4? 

Why change what has been working? It has been the motto of Blacklist International in seasons 7 and 8, both of which they dominated. That has been displayed once again as they had the first three (3) picks from the previous games: Claude, Pharsa, and Diggie. While the game pace was slow, the incessant objective taking and tower sieging of the Agents left the Orcas helpless. It was this specific collapse gameplay in the top lane locked in the dominance of Blacklist. After wreaking havoc in the bottom lane, with Oheb’s Claude even killing Sanford’s Benedetta and taking down the second turret, the team quickly moves onto the top lane, collapsing on Bennyqt’s Bruno, Yawi’s Faramis, and Sanji’s Valentina. The persistent and continuous crowd control of Wise’s Fredrinn has made it easy for his team to scratch against the armor of their opponents. Still, the base defense of ECHO tried to stand strong. But they can do so much to delay the inevitable as their opponents have already become too much to handle for them. 

Blacklist International books the first ticket as the Philippine representative for the incoming M4 World Championships this December, making them the first-ever team to qualify for a back-to-back defense for the crown. This time, #ReclaimTheCrown trumps Echo Loud, Echo Proud as the World Champions sweep and take down one of the biggest hurdles against their defense for the crown.

GAME 1 (25:44) - BLCK 16 (W); ECHO 18 (L)

GAME 2 (19:30) - ECHO 6 (L); BLCK 13 (W)

GAME 3 (13:49) - BLCK 11 (W); ECHO 2 (L)

GAME MVPs: