RSG Philippines defeat OMG to claim MPL PH Season 9 championship
RSG Philippines have claimed the championship of the Mobile Legends Professional League (MPL) Philippines Season 9, capping off a dominant run throughout the season by defeating Smart Omega Esports Philippines (OMG) 4-1 in the grand finals on Sunday (1 May).
RSG dominated the regular season, finishing with a league-best 11-3 match record by winning 29 games and only losing nine behind Regular Season MVP Dylan "Light" Catipon.
As the first seed, they automatically earned a spot in the upper bracket semifinals in the playoffs.
RSG only continued to look untouchable in the playoffs, as they didn't lose a single game on their way to the grand finals.
They opened their playoff campaign by sweeping fifth seed ONIC Philippines before cruising through second seed TNC Pro Team in the upper bracket finals.
Meanwhile, OMG's path to the finals was a bit more of a rollercoaster. They barely made the playoffs as the sixth seed with a 6-8 record, though they started strong with a sweep over third seed ECHO Esports.
OMG were then knocked down to the lower bracket after a 3-1 loss to TNC in the upper bracket semifinals.
The sixth seed seemed to have flipped the switch in the face of elimination, scoring back-to-back sweeps over ONIC and TNC to earn the right to challenge RSG in the grand finals.
RSG started the grand finals strong with a 22-8 victory in a 18-minute game one. OMG struck back in a methodical game two, taking the 13-minute win despite only having two total kills in the entire game.
There was no stopping RSG, however, as they dominated the next three games to secure the 4-1 finals victory and claim the mantle of MPL PH Season 9 champions.
RSG will be taking home the grand prize of US$35,000, with Nathanael "Nathzz" Estrologo taking the Playoff MVP award as well as an additional US$1,000 in winnings.
RSG's dominant run to the championship in Season 9 is an incredible feat, especially when considering the organisation only entered the league in Season 8, where they finished in 5th-6th place. RSG's Filipino team is notably the organisation's second championship-winning team this season after RSG SG won the championship of MPL SG Season 3.
Meanwhile, OMG bow out in second place with US$20,000 in consolation. It's a commendable finish for the sixth-seeded team that many didn't think could have made it this far.
Both RSG PH and OMG will also be representing the Philippines in the 2022 Mobile Legends Southeast Asia Cup (MSC), where they will face 10 other top teams from all across Southeast Asia for a cut of a US$300,000 prize pool in mid-June.
The roster of OMG will notably enter the 2022 MSC as defending champions after they won the 2021 MSC under the banner of Execration.
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