M3 World Championship: Kairi shines as ONIC PH sweep RSG SG 3-0
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Pro League (MPL) Philippines Season 8 runners-up ONIC Philippines had a strong start to the M3 World Championship Playoffs, as they scored a 3-0 sweep over MPL Singapore Season 2 champions RSG Singapore in their upper bracket quarterfinal match on Sunday (12 December).
ONIC PH was the first seed in Group B, where they dropped a game to ONIC Esports and blitzed their way through their matches against TODAK and Keyd Stars to secure their spot in the Upper Bracket of the Playoffs.
Meanwhile, RSG SG came in as the second seed of Group D, losing only to RRQ Hoshi in the Group stage and winning against GX Squad and Team SMG.
ONIC PH started strong in game one, opting for the split push strategy. While RSG SG tried to pick off champions in the side lanes, ONIC PH found ways to counter-engage by taking down their Singaporean opponents' turrets.
Gerald “Dlarskie” Trinchera’s tanky Uranus pick facilitated his team’s success by zoning out RSG from the rest of ONIC PH. And with a 9-8 kill lead, ONIC PH destroyed the enemy base in less than 16 minutes.
RSG were the ones off to a good start in game two, as they found early kills on their opponents. However, ONIC PH outmaneuvered them and opened up the map to counter the Singaporean siege. And with a 15-10 kill lead, ONIC took the second game in just 12 minutes, taking their team to match point.
Kairi “Kairi” Rayosdelsol earned the MVP honours, showing off his mastery on Yi Sun-shin and ending with an 80% kill participation rate.
RSG did not go down without a fight in the final game of the series, taking control of the map early on as they looked to mount a comeback.
The Singaporeans continued to control the teamfights thanks to their front-to-back composition, which made it difficult for ONIC PH to find openings.
However, at the 21-minute mark, the Filipino team found a way to bounce back by acing RSG SG in the river. And despite a 15-20 kill deficit, ONIC PH took down the enemy base to end the game in 22 minutes and secure the 3-0 series sweep. Kairi once again took the MVP title with a 93% kill participation rate.
ONIC PH will face off against the winner of the quarterfinal match between RRQ Hoshi and TODAK in the semi-finals on 15 December.
On the other hand, RSG SG drop to the second round of the lower bracket and will face the winner of the elimination match against Natus Vincere and Malvinas Gaming.
Click here for everything you need to know about the M3 World Championship.
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.
For more esports news updates, visit https://yhoo.it/YahooEsportsSEA and check out Yahoo Esports Southeast Asia’s Facebook page and Twitter, as well as our Gaming channel on YouTube.
