M3 World Championship: ONIC PH sweep RRQ Hoshi to reach upper bracket finals
ONIC Philippines are now just one win away from the grand finals of the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) M3 World Championship after they swept Indonesian powerhouse RRQ Hoshi 3-0 in the semi-finals on Wednesday (15 December).
ONIC PH started strong in the M3 World Championship, taking first seed in Group B with a 2-1 record to secure an upper bracket berth.
They then swept RSG SG to make their way to the upper bracket semi-finals. Meanwhile, RRQ Hoshi swept Group D to reach to the upper bracket. The Indonesian team defeated TODAK 3-1 in the first round to set up a showdown against ONIC PH.
In the series opener, ONIC PH prevented RRQ Hoshi from scaling by dominating the laning phase. At the 10-minute mark, the Filipino team wiped out the Indonesian team in the mid lane to eventually take a 14-minute victory with a 19-7 kill lead.
The second match was a nail biter, with ONIC PH and RRQ Hoshi making equal trades. RRQ Hoshi opted for a high magic team composition, baiting ONIC PH into group fights while ONIC continued their split-push strategy.
In what ended up being a 22-minute bloodbath, ONIC PH repeatedly outmaneuvered their Indonesian opponents, slowly clearing waves and turrets across the map while avoiding any retaliation.
Finally, after taking the enhanced Lord, ONIC PH destroyed RRQ Hoshi's base despite a 10-17 kill deficit to take match point heading into game three.
RRQ Hoshi put up quite the fight with their backs against the wall, taking ONIC PH's signature Uranus pick as part of a high-damage team composition.
The Indonesian team overwhelmed the Filipinos across all lanes, taking advantage of ONIC PH's lack of a frontline. Allen "Baloyskie" Jedric Baloy notably struggled with his squishy Natalia pick, with RRQ Hoshi taking him down multiple times.
The Filipino squad continued to fight back, with Baloyskie finding an opportunity to pick off the Indonesians from afar in one base defense after another to extend the game further.
With only three inhibitor turrets up, ONIC PH managed to scale up their champions and punish RRQ Hoshi's lack of range.
After an almost 29-minute marathon, ONIC PH somehow managed to turn the tables around and secure the series sweep with an equal 15-15 kill score.
Kairi Ygnacio "Kairi" Rayosdelsol continues to fuel ONIC PH's dominant run at M3 thus far, earning MVP honours for all three games of the series.
In the post-match interview, ONIC PH's Baloyskie said he set his team aside after the second game to remind them not to relax, knowing that RRQ Hoshi are a formidable opponent and can repeat a reverse sweep.
This happened in a match between the two teams in MPL Season 4.
ONIC PH now move forward to the upper bracket finals, where they will face the winner of the match between North America's BloodThirstyKings and EVOS SG in a best-of-five series on 18 December.
Meanwhile, RRQ Hoshi will move down to the lower bracket quarterfinals to face Blacklist International in a best-of-five on 17 December.
Day five of the M3 World Championship Playoffs ended up being a great one for the Filipino MLBB scene, as Blacklist International have also continued their run in the lower bracket with a sweep over Keyd Stars.
Anna is a freelance writer and photographer. She is a gamer who loves RPGs and platformers, and is a League of Legends geek. She's also a food enthusiast who loves a good cup of black coffee.
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