Blacklist International enters M4 upper bracket semis

JAKARTA — Defending world champion Blacklist International barged into the upper bracket semifinals of the M4 World Champions after thwarting Brazilian champions RRQ Akira, 3-1, at the Indoor Stadium Senayan here.

The agents asserted their dominance over the Brazilian champions with a quick 13-minute-and-22-second Game One win. While RRQ Akira kept pace with the reigning world champions in a tight Game Two, KDA machine Salic "Hadji" Imam secured key pick-offs and managed to carry the game without a single death.

The agents brought out all their signature heroes in Game Three hoping for a sweep, but RRQ Akira managed to turn the tides with an early game aggression and swiftly took the game (13:32).

Not wanting to prolong the series, Blacklist International once again picked up signature heroes with only Imam and Danerie "Wise" Del Rosario changing their picks. Filipino Sniper Kiel "Oheb" Soriano carried the game with his Beatrix and picked off RRQ Akira's players one by one to secure a 19-4 win and the team's advancement to the upper bracket semifinals.

Surviving the group stages after suffering a double defeat at the hands of Myanmar's Falcon Esports, Coach Krisstoffer “BON CHAN” Ricaplaza reflected on how they were making things complicated when they already had their key to victory: their UBE strat.

"Wag natin gawin komplikado ang mga bagay. Meron [tayong] sariling strengths. Bumalik lang kami sa fundamentals na dapat inaaply namin sa game. Go back to basics, go back to UBE," said Ricaplaza.

In the other upper bracket matchup, Filipino coach Michael "Arcadia" Bocado and home favorite RRQ Hoshi seized an upper bracket semifinals slot with a sweep over Malaysia's TODAK.

Blacklist International will face RRQ Hoshi in the upper bracket semis on January 11 at 7 p.m. (Manila time).