RSG Philippines took home the One Esports MPLI 2023 (Mobile Legends Pro League Invitational) trophy after defeating ECHO at the Grand Finals 3-1.
While Philippine teams have dominated Mobile Legends tournaments over the last couple of years, no Filipino team has won MPLI, until now that is. RSG Philippines became the first Pinoy team to win the tournament.
The team’s MPLI journey began with the team dominating Group D, meaning they go to punch their ticket to the Upper Bracket Semifinals. There, they faced off against MPL Philippines Season 12 champion AP.Bren, though they lost 0-2.
Not to be deterred, RSG Philippines rallied through the Lower Bracket where they got a rematch with AP.Bren — the MPL PH S12 champions were defeated by ECHO in the Upper Bracket. It was a hard-fought series, but RSG Philippines took down AP.Bren 2-1, meaning they went on to face ECHO in the Grand Finals.
This series is redemption for ECHO and RSG Philippines as both teams fell short of the top spot at MPL PH S12. At the end though, only one can take home the MPLI trophy, and that was RSG Philippines as they beat ECHO 3-1.
“This year’s MPLI introduced teams from new regions and countries who shook the status quo of competitive MLBB,” said Carlos Alimurung, CEO, ONE Esports. “We would like to thank our partners, MOONTON Games, the participating teams, and most importantly, our fans, for joining us on our mission to unleash esports heroes who ignite the world with hope, strength, dreams, and inspiration.”
While RSG Philippines and ECHO were the finalists, they sadly won’t be at M5. Instead, AP.Bren and Blacklist International will represent the Philippines at the M5 World Championship which is happening in Kuala Lumpur and Manila from November 23 to December 17, 2023.