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It’s a spicy start for the MLBB world championships.
It was an exciting opening weekend for the M7 MLBB world championships as we got to see some storied matches so early into the tournament. The Swiss format allows for all kinds of intriguing, if random, matchups while ensuring that every one of them matters.
Day one was rough for both Malaysia and the Philippines as both their representatives clashed in the first round. It was the Selangor Red Giants versus CG Esports and Team Liquid versus Aurora Gaming PH. Two titans of their region facing each other so early on the M7 stage.
For CG and Aurora, this was a chance for them to get some revenge against the champions of their regions. Both teams suffered a 4-0 sweep in their respective grand finals but a lot of time has passed since then. It was an opportunity for CG and Aurora to show how much they’ve grown since the end of the season.
However, SRG and Team Liquid have grown quite a lot as well and history only repeated itself on day one. The kings of Malaysia and the Philippines reminded everyone why they’re the champions and made quick work of their second seed rivals.
Adjusting Expectations
SRG and Team Liquid extended their warpath on day two of M7. After defeating Team Secret and Team Falcons respectively, the two are now only one series away from qualifying into the playoffs.
Meanwhile, CG’s woes continue as they’re now 0-2 after losing to Aurora Turkey. And while Aurora PH won against Cambodia’s CFU Gaming, it wasn’t pretty. Uncharacteristic errors filled Aurora’s gameplay, putting their chances of moving on to the playoffs into question.
The real kicker of the weekend though was ONIC, Indonesia’s champions and hometown heroes, losing against Myanmar’s Yangon Galacticos. Things were already looking unsteady for ONIC after a precarious match against Boostgate Esports on day one. Although ONIC were the victors, it took them nearly 30 minutes to close out a game against a Wildcard team. Myanmar has always been a dark horse region but now ONIC has to really lock in if they want to remain M7 favorites.
The M7 Swiss Stage continues this week as we begin to fill out the playoffs bracket. We’re starting to move into the best-of-three matches now so the intensity of every match is only going to get higher and higher.
Banner photo from MOONTON Games.