On Friday, over 500 Malaysian teams joined the fray in the MPL MY/SG Qualifer 2, to secure their spot in the Regular season.
On Sunday, two teams were left standing, ready to pursue the prize of USD100,000 and forge their legends.
You can check out the highlights/recap video here!
[srizonfbvidsingle id=691537211193790]While you’re reading the recap, if you’re wondering why Hayabusa wasn’t picked at all despite being a common pick in Qualifier 1, it’s cuz he just got reworked recently (along with others like Gatotkaca, Kuja, etc), which means he can’t be picked in the tournament mode yet.
Match 1: ICON vs We Own World (WOW)
Final Score: 2-0
Game 1
This game was in the bag for ICON. Even during the drafting phase, they were already showcasing their superior decision-making skills by picking strong heroes: Gusion, Akai, Natalia, Diggie, and Chou.
At every point in the game, ICON was one step ahead of WOW in every way, consistently demolishing them in teamfights. Eventually, upon realizing they couldn’t win head on, WOW decided to stall and play defensively.
It DID work…until they got lured out by ICON’s Natalia (played by unta) soloing the Lord while the other 4 players pushed lanes. Seeing this “opportunity” for a 4v5, WOW tried to engage ICON in a teamfight, but got baited and utterly wiped out, sealing their fate.
Shoutout to ICON’s Chou (played by Syno) for his really skilled plays and huge contribution towards the team’s damage output, and their Natalia for splitpushing well and also being a main damage dealer along with making the crucial play that allowed ICON to wipe out WoW.
Game 2
Game 2 was even more lopsided in ICON’s favour. From the beginning, both teams were even more aggressive, likely to avoid a repeat of Game 1’s stalling tactics.
Unfortunately, WOW’s aggression was very sloppy and unfocused, and they made quite a few mistakes when trying to engage ICON, like failing two jungle invades and constantly getting caught out by Grock’s (played by error) wall ability.
Like MyA in their 1st game vs Traitor in Qualifier 1, WOW failed to take even ONE tower from ICON, and the match ended with a score of 5-26. ICON has officially secured their spot in the regular season.
Match 2: Borneo Dragon FV (BD FV) vs MYA JR
Final Score: 2-0
Game 1
Unlike the ICON vs WOW game,the BD FV vs MYA JR matchup was on a more level playing field, and kills on both sides were minimal, with MYA JR playing cautiously after gaining a minor lead.
In response, BD FV decided to put pressure on them by grouping up and roaming/rotating around the map.
This strategy paid off, with MYA JR making a misplay at around 5 minutes. BD FV took advantage of this to cement their map control and play aggressively, by doing things like tower diving and going after kills as a team.
In the end, BD FV managed to secure a Lord kill, and pushed to win the game.
Game 2
BD FV continued their aggressive streak from Game 1, putting heavy pressure on MYA JR, which was met with a weak response and lack of answers.
To their credit, MYA JR did try to scrape together a last-ditch effort and fight back, but only managed to kill off 3 of BD FV’s heroes.
BD FV finished off MYA JR using a fed Gusion (Gato.FV) and Martis (Miracle.FV) to push into the base and destroy their Altar, securing their spot in the Regular season.
Bronze Match: MYA JR vs We Own World
Final Score: 0-2
Game 1 & 2
This matchup was really intense and close, instead of being a knockout win for WOW.
Throughout the games, there was a constant swing of momentum back and forth between WOW and MYA JR, with both teams managing to pick off heroes using their assassins.
It was basically all about waiting for either side to make a mistake, with MYA JR slipping up first. Their Natalia (Naamii) got ambushed and caught, and the ensuing teamfight proceeded with MYA JR fielding only 3 heroes, which was a major mistake.
In fact, even during the draft phase MYA JR had already lost a major advantage. They gave up Gusion, Angela, and Martis, trying to replicate IDNS SG’s Season 1 Grand Final lineup, but failed to dominate the earlygame even though they had Grock and Estes. Losing to WOW, they couldn’t overcome a fed Martis and Gusion. WOW easily overran MYA JR and used a Lord to win the game.
With this win, WOW will now move on to the Wildcard slot, held on the last day of Singapore’s Qualifier. They’ll be going up against the winners of Qualifier 1’s Bronze match, FV MYA
Congratulations to all the teams that made it in, and to the teams that didn’t win, better luck next time!
We’re looking forward to the Singapore Qualifier and Wildcard match (between FV MYA and We Own World), which is happening this weekend. Do continue to tune in for the latest updates!
