MPL PH Season 9 reached the end of its regular season over the weekend, with one absolutely massive shock – Blacklist International would not be at playoffs.
headline photo courtesy of Blacklist International
Nine seasons into the Mobile Legends Professional League in the Philippines, something massive has occurred – and it has taken the entire world by surprise. With the Regular Season coming to an end over the recent weekend, the champions of Season 7, 8, and M3 have been eliminated from the tournament, with no contention for playoffs – and the clincher was their biggest rivals, Smart Omega Esports, who plunged the final nail into the coffin of Blacklist International.
Four teams were already confirmed for the MPL PH Season 9 playoffs as we went into the final week, while Bren Esports were eliminated after struggling to get a firm grasp on things. Week 8 of the Regular Season cemented that, but it did not stop there. The victors of MSC 2021, Smart Omega Esports, had one last word to throw into the mix – and it was the elimination of their biggest rivals before the playoffs, as Blacklist International lost in a brutal 0-2 series.
Unfortunately for all the Blacklist agents out there, the two time MPL PH champions of 2021, and the M3 world champions found it extremely difficult to get themselves settled in Season 9 with their new roster. The absence of the magnificent “OhMyWise” combination showed, as Blacklist slumped into dead-last at the culmination of the Regular Season. One of their biggest rivals, Smart Omega Esports – the team that was once Execration, managed to pump two strong victories into the once MPL PH champions, which pushed them through into playoffs, while leaving their opponents to rethink their strategy going into Season 10 later this year.
Smart Omega’s double victory in the final week was more than enough to push them into the playoffs, albeit in the sixth seed spot. They join Nexplay EVOS, ONIC PH, ECHO, TNC Pro Team, and RSG PH in the playoff round – which kicks off later this month. The elimination of Blacklist means that we will see a brand new MPL PH champion, and with every having a rather firm grasp on the meta, the playoffs are certainly going be absolutely superb.
