Blacklist International head coach Kristoffer “Bon Chan” Ricaplaza admitted that the victory against Onic Esports in the Mobile Legends Bang Bang: M3 World Championship came sweeter as it erased the bitter taste of a forgettable loss last month.
Blacklist avenged its Grand Finals loss in the MPL Invitational with a 2-1 victory which slammed the door to Onic ID in the crowning tournament of MLBB.
“It's so satisfying. Very satisfying kasi unang-una major tournament ‘to kaysa sa MPLI, 'yung MPLI parang side quest lang sya, M3 yung main quest,” said the veteran tactician.
“Very satisfying na dito pa namin sila sa world stage nagantihan.”
As expected though, the match against the MPL Indonesia champions didn’t come as a walk in the park for the back-to-back PH champs.
With the two squads splitting the first two games, Bon Chan said he had to make adjustments and he did that by taking away Pharsa from the Onic ID’s hands. Blacklist rolled from that point and dominated the Indonesians in the series clincher, 7-1.
READ MORE: Blacklist International vents ire on Onic Esports, sends MPL Indo champs packing in M3
“Nung Game 1 and Game 2, nakita namin na ‘yung common hero na confident sila ay yung Pharsa that's why brineak namin yung pattern ng draft nila,” said Bon Chan who picked the Pharsa for Salic “Hadji” Imam in Game 3.
Without the Pharsa pick, Onic ID failed to hold the early game – something that it was able to do to stage a comeback in Game 2 anchored on its double-marksman setup. Blacklist quickly snowballed in the early game, neutralizing Onic ID’s composition which banked on the late-game prowess of its Cecilion and Clint picks.
“Nagkagulo na yung draft nila and kita naman sa result kung gaano ka one-sided yung laban nung game 3,” added Bon Chan.
Blacklist will resume its lower bracket journey when it takes on Keyd Stars on Wednesday with a spot in the lower bracket quarterfinals at stake.