Playing from the lower bracket may take a longer route to the MPL Philippines Season 7 championship, but Execration, Work Auster Force, Onic PH and Nexplay Esports are all eager to spark a Cinderella run.
However, two of them will have their title bids snapped out right in the first round of the playoffs.
League veterans Execration and Onic will face each other in a rematch of last season's battle for third place while young guns Work and NXP fight for tournament life.
Work Auster Force vs Nexplay Esports
Wednesday, May 26 at 4 p.m.
Even before the Regular Season started, coach Laurenz "Lift" Ruiz's Work has been tagged as a strong contender especially with its flawless performance during the qualifiers. And the new kids on the block lived up to the hype as they almost snatched the Group A second seed against defending champion and their scrim partner Bren Esports only to lose in the head-to-head record.
Daniel "Chuuu" Chu, the former star jungler of Blu Fire, finally found a team that brings out the best in him and teammates who can shine in their own roles.
Frediemar "3MarTzy" Serafico, who became controversial for his recall shenanigans, Clarense "Kousei" Camilo, Patrick "rTzy" Grecia and Dylan "Unravel" Catipon all had their moments under the spotlight through the group stage.
For its part, coach Setsuna "Dogie" Ignacio's NXP jumped off to a scorching start by sweeping Bren in the opening week but went on to have a rugged season and fall to No. 4 in Group B.
The insertion of Dexter "Exort" Martinez and James "Jeymz" Gloria worked wonders for the crowd favorites while the trio of John Paul "H2wo" Salonga, Renejay "RENEJAY" Barcarse and Tristan "Yawi" Cabrera remained steady on their respective roles.
Dogie's players are seen as among the mechanically gifted ones in the league who are able to produce individual highlight reels, but they still have to fine tune their chemistry.
And there's no better time for NXP to come together than in the playoffs wherein it will face the Work squad that beat them in the regular season.
Execration vs Onic PH
Thursday, May 27 at 4 p.m.
One of the established organizations not just in Mobile Legends but in the Philippine esports scene in general, Execration has long been yearning for its crowning moment in the MPL-PH.
Getting two-time champions Kiel VJ "Kielvj" Hernandez and Renz "Renzio" Cadua from Aura PH, rookie Duane "Kelra" Pillas and player-turned-coach Jomie "Pakba1ts" Abalos definitely boosted Execration as well as Billy "Z4pnu" Alfonso's chances of finally lifting the coveted trophy.
The boys in black and blue went on a slump before team veterans Patrick "E2MAX" Caidid and Joshua "Ch4knu" Mangilog came to the rescue and assured a strong finish capped by a 2-1 victory over Aura for the No. 3 seed in Group B.
Star tank Ch4knu's big-time plays and initiations will definitely set the tempo for Execration's run come playoffs time.
Like Execration, Onic is raring to seize a championship ring after its back-to-back runner-up finishes to Sunsparks (now Aura) in Season 4 and 5.
This time, though, the team in white and yellow has to do it without its longtime captain Jonmar "OhMyV33nus" Villluna and jungler Danerie James "Wise" Del Rosario. Although it still has Gerald "Dlar" Trinchera, Christian "Iy4knu" Manaog and SEA Games gold winner Jason "Jay" Torculas to count on.
Offseason acquisitions Kairi "Kairi" Rayosdelsol and Jaylord "Hate" Gonzales proved that they are eager to fill in the shoes left by the "V33Wise" duo while newcomer Marky "Markyyyy" Capacio showed some brilliance when he was called to action.
Onic was a dominant force midway through the regular season wherein it took down Execration, but suddenly went on a dip in the homestretch highlighted by a sweep at the hands of "V33Wise" and Blacklist to settle for the fourth seed in Group A.
Coach Kyle "Ryo" Berceño's boys need to gather and compose themselves in the playoffs, and it should start with the face of the squad, Dlar.