Echo loud, Echo proud!
ECHO is now the greatest Mobile Legends: Bang Bang team in the world after a triumphant 4-0 sweep over defending champion Blacklist International at the M4 World Championship grand final.
The Tier One-backed squad had no answer to the combined firepower of veteran Benedict “Bennyqt” Gonzales and two-time M-series winner Karl “KarlTzy” Nepomuceno, who avenged their 2-4 loss during the MPL PH Season 10 grand final.
This is also a historic moment in MLBB esports, as KarlTzy became the first player to win an M-series twice since he led Bren Esports at the M2 World Championship two years ago.
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ECHO gets the win over the defending champion at the M4 World Championship
Blacklist International had breezed through the upper bracket of the knockout stage, taking down RRQ Akira, RRQ Hoshi, and ECHO to secure the first grand final slot.
ECHO managed to survive, and pulled off a dominant performance against RRQ Hoshi in the lower bracket final to book a rematch with their fellow Filipino squad.
They secured the first two games on the back of Bennyqt, who had a commendable performance on Lunox in the first game and Brody in the second game.
Up by two, Blacklist drafted Karrie to counter the Fredrinn pick of ECHO. The orcas surprised by drafting Gusion for Alston “Sanji” Pabico, the first time the hero was picked in the tournament.
The pick turned out to be a success as Sanji popped off, securing crucial kills on Kiel “OHEB” Soriano’s Karrie and Salic “Hadji” Imam’s Pharsa, resulting in a lopsided 23-10 kill score within 13 minutes of play. Sanford “Sanford” Vinuya also stepped up in the match, winning the MVP award for his flawless plays on Lapu-Lapu.
Blacklist tried to turn things around in the fourth and final game after OHEB drafted his signature Beatrix pick. Johnmar “OhMyV33nus” tried to counter the crowd control-heavy team composition of ECHO with Diggie. However, things went south for the defending champion, for they had no response to Sanji’s Xavier in the mid-to-late game.
ECHO’s winning moment came at the 16-minute mark when they caught Beatrix and Wise’s Barats near the Lord pit. With two members down, the orcas went straight to Blacklist’s base to secure the 4-0 sweep.
For his series-winning plays in the grand final, Bennyqt was hailed the grand final MVP and was awarded US$5,000.
With the win, ECHO will take home US$300,000, while Blacklist International will walk away with US$120,000. This is the third straight year that a Filipino squad has won the world championship.
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