In just a few days the M3 World Championships will kick off and we are breaking down each group, looking at who will come out ahead.
From December 6, which is under a week away, the M3 World Championships will get underway, with a total of 16 teams from around the world fighting in the tournament. The teams, big and small, will be battling it out in the Land of Dawn for a chance to be crowned as the champions, and their share of a gigantic $800,000 prize pool. For Group B, we have some huge excitement, with two sister squads, as well as many runner-up teams from MPL tournaments.
Group B
ONIC Esports
ONIC Philippines
Todak
Vivo KeydThe hype of Brazil
With the first season of the Mobile Legends Professional League in Brazil just a few months ago, Keyd Stars, or Vivo Keyd, were one of the most built-up teams, expected to take all the spoils. The team performed exceptionally well early on, dominating the group stages of the tournament, with only a single game lost. It appeared as though there would be no stopping the ultra-aggression from them, as they marched into the grand finals – and met their match. RED Canids were able to quelle to Keyd Star brilliance, but with M3, we would see two Brazilian teams entering the mix.
Although the BR region have only recently entered the MPL, they have been at the World Championships since the beginning, and one part of the Keyd Stars roster has experience too. Coach Cabral was part of the M2 DreamMax roster, before realizing that his expertise could help a lot more in the region from a coaching role. His insights, as well as the experience of players such Mayke and Luiizz, his ex-teammates at M2, could prove the deciding factor to pull this team into a commanding spot in Group B.
The Swordfish looking to strike
It feels impossible to have a MLBB World Championship without the Malaysian powerhouse of Todak – who are attending their third in as many. Unfortunately, ever since their win back in MPL MY/SG Season 6, Todak have been a little off the mark when it comes to their local league. That said, second place is nothing to be scoffed at, which is where they have finished for the past two seasons – while their most recent performance at the MPL Invitational 2021 was completely underwhelming.
With that said, Todak have two players to always look out for, namely Ciku and 4Meyz, who can devastate teams through their brilliance. Although some of their performances lately have been lackluster, the Swordfish should never be counted out, and we expect a strong showing from them at M3. The biggest trouble that they may find is fighting to the late game in Group B, with a double-dose of Onic to shut them down.
The pride of Indonesia
Onic Esports have been around for quite some time and are extremely well-known throughout both the MLBB scene in general, and especially the Indonesia community. The team pride themselves on fierce loyalty to their organisation, often sticking through the tough times as they look to build an amazing roster. That is exactly what Onic have now, as they pummeled through their local MPL ID Season 8 to take a massive victory over RRQ Hoshi.
The team as a whole is amazing, but when you break things down even further, each individual player is just as great, working together perfectly to form this powerhouse roster. SANZ, the team’s jungle player, is considered to be one of the absolute best in the region, and maybe even the world at times – with his performance at MPL ID S8 continuing to show why he is the “Jungle Machine”. We cannot look at this team without brining up Kiboy either, a roaming player with an extremely high skill on every champion he touches. All-in-all, Onic Esports look set to blast everyone out of the water, especially after taking down Blacklist International just a few weeks ago at the MPL Invitational 2021.
The “other” Onic
Group B already looked like a verifiable “group of death” just from the teams previously mentioned, with a recent MPL champion and two runner-up rosters in the mix. But adding in another runner-up MPL team is just as daunting for everyone involved, especially when it is Onic PH. The Philippines roster of Onic caused chaos in MPL PH Season 8, as they were the one team to tarnish the Blacklist International regular season, destroying the classic “UBE” with a “Banana Split”. Although they eventually lost in the grand finals, this team has many positives to look at.
First and foremost, the team were never considered as being contenders for their local title, with vast roster changes and the ex-Cignal Ultra coach, who had a rough Season 7. That said, Coach Yeb clearly knows what he is doing, as he managed to create some fantastic drafts with his squad, almost claiming the PH title. One of the most prolific players to look at on this team is the Jungler, once again, Kairi. However, it is very difficult to just pinpoint one player on this squad, with the likes of Markyyyy, Baloyskie, and Dlarskie all being just as brilliant. The other vital aspect to remember is that the PH teams want to bring the M3 World Championship title home for their country, not forgetting that Bren Esports were the M2 champions.
When it comes to Group B, there are three teams that were runners-up in their recent MPL tournaments, and one champion, but that is far from decisive when understanding how M3 will turn out. Thankfully all four teams will be making it into the playoffs, the question is who will end up in the lower bracket and who will take to the upper bracket. For us, it feels as though Onic Esports may take the one-two with their recent domination, but we all know that upsets can occur at any time.
Group B Schedule
With all group stage games being a best-of-one, the Group B matches will all occur of December 7, which is Day 2 of proceedings.
- Onic Esports versus Onic PH
- Todak versus Keyd Stars
- Onic Esports versus Keyd Stars
- Onic PH versus Todak
- Onic Esports versus Todak
- Onic PH versus Keyd Stars
