MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines extended its reign as king of Mobile Legends thanks to Fnatic ONIC.
Fnatic ONIC made quick work of Indonesia’s Team Liquid to rule the M6 World Championship, cruising to a 4-1 win in the best-of-seven grand finals at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Sunday, December 15.
Crowned the Finals MVP, Duane “Kelra” Pillas showed the way as Fnatic ONIC delivered the country its fifth straight title in the M Series.
After Indonesia’s EVOS Legends topped the inaugural M1, the Philippines has shifted the balance of power, with Bren Esports winning M2 followed by Blacklist International in M3, ECHO in M4, and AP.Bren in M5.
Fnatic ONIC continued that run of dominance as it went unbeaten, going 3-0 in the swiss stage then beating Malaysia’s Selangor Red Giants (2-0), Myanmar’s Falcon Esports (3-2), and Team Liquid (3-1) in the upper bracket playoffs.
Pitted against Team Liquid once more with the crown on the line, Fnatic ONIC reasserted its mastery over the reigning Indonesia champions, wrapping up the title-clinching Game 5 in just under 15 minutes.
Kelra shone in Game 5, where he put up 5 kills and 7 assists against 2 deaths on Irithel and caught Team Liquid sleeping as he sneaked for the final push.
Also composed of Jann “Kirk” Gutierrez, King “K1NGKONG” Perez, Frince “Super Frince” Ramirez, Borris “Brusko” Parro, and Brain “SpiderMilez” Santos, Fnatic ONIC will take home a huge chunk of the $1 million prize pool.
The Selangor Red Giants placed third for the host country.
Meanwhile, the Philippines’ other team, Aurora Gaming, finished at 9th-to-11th places as it failed to reach the knockout stage.
A total of 23 teams saw action in the tournament. – Rappler.com