Decoding Onic PH's Baloyskie-Hatred ploy key in Blacklist's Finals sweep
Blacklist International was able to decode Onic Philippines' new lineup as it asserted its mastery over its MPL PH runner-up with a 4-0 sweep in the Grand Finals of the M3 World Championship at the Suntec Singapore Convention Centre on Sunday, Dec. 19

Blacklist head coach Kristoffer “Bon Chan” Ricaplaza and team captain Jonmar “OhmyV33nus” Villaluna bared the team was able to answer Onic’s new-look roster that featured Allen “Baloyskie” Baloy on the roaming role and Jaylord “Hatred” Gonzales on the mid-lane – a ploy that Onic’s upper bracket opponents had a hard time solving.
“For me they dominated the upper bracket because most of the teams that they faced were surprised by the switch of role that happened. We were lucky to face them in the Grand Finals and we’re able to see the holes in their draft and the adjustment they made,” said OhmyV33nus in the aftermath of Blacklist’s clean Finals run.
With the its new lineup, Onic, typically considered a mid-tier team before the start of M3, shocked the world stage after coming out on top of the tournament’s Group of Death.
The MPL PH Season 8 runner-up then took the upper bracket playoffs by storm with a perfect 9-0 game win streak to reach the Grand Finals.
Blacklist, however, was able to see through the adjustment and successfully devised a counter measure against the deadly mid-lane duo of Onic PH.
“We just checked their loopholes, their drafting patterns, what heroes they can flex, what heroes they can use, all of those things are most important part of our plan that’s why we got them cornered. It’s just about our preparation,” explained Bon Chan.
Ohmyv33nus also said that their lower bracket run was a huge factor as it also prepared them for the Grand Finals match, especially after winning against contenders in the likes of Onic Esports, RRQ Hoshi and BloodThirstyKings.
“I think we were very lucky that we were able to face Onic in the Grand Finals and we were able to get a lot of experiences in the lower bracket.”