Hey there Mobile Legends fans! Day 1 of the Season 2 playoffs started really well, with a crowd already gathering way before the event started, anticipating the matches and early bird prizes.

The Underdogs, Falling Even Further

Tyrants 2, Saiyan Reborn 0

We started the matches after lunch, with Flash Tyrants vs Saiyan Reborn running first. It went exactly as expected.

Reborn got totally smashed, losing Game 1 badly to Tyrants due to their inability to pressure the map and contest objectives. They tried to fight harder in Game 2, winning early on, but it wasn’t enough, as FT kept playing consistently and building a lead, finally bringing Reborn down.

FT has incredibly clean and methodical plays, but at the same time they’re also adaptable and can change strategies on the fly, as shown by their Gord (who they’ve never picked before in the regular season) and Valir (an uncommon pick) drafts in game 1 and 2

Traitor’s Punishment

Traitor 0, GEEK FAM Mystic 2

GEEK FAM Mystic totally outmaneuvered Traitor this time round, despite losing to them recently in the Hari Sukan Negara games.

In Day 1 of the playoffs, Traitor played sloppily, making a lot of mistakes and bad decisions in teamfights, which gave Mystic the lead in both games. In game 1, Traitor had the initial lead, but they couldn’t close out the game and made some silly plays, while game 2 was a complete domination by Mystic.

The recent addition of Feekz has been good for Mystic, and his carrying skills are invaluable to the team.

Traitor’s definitely disappointed that they lost, as they mentioned in the post-match interview, but they’ve acknowledged that it’s inevitable in a tournament: you win some, you lose some.

Strength of Will

EVOS Esports SG 2, GEEK FAM ICON 1

Game 1 of the matchup between EVOS Esports SG and GEEK FAM ICON was ridiculously long, taking 20 minutes+, with EVOS gaining an early lead but throwing it away carelessly. They ended up being forced to go on the defensive and stall the game until Claude got fed, which unfortunately wasn’t enough. ICON took 4 Lords, finally defeating EVOS by constantly pushing and pressuring them with a stronger lategame composition.

Unfortunately, ICON’s luck didn’t last long. In games 2 and 3, EVOS regained control and clawed their way back up. ICON came under heavy assault from EVOS, and crumbled under pressure, losing 2 games successively to concede the match. Upon being interviewed after the match, they claimed it was primarily due to a lack of communication, a flaw which Cometopapa admitted they have to work on for subsequent matches.

Battle of Titans

Bigetron SG 2, AirAsia Saiyan 1

This was the climax and most widely anticipated match of Day 1, a rematch between the long-time (all the way from Season 1) rivals BTR and ASYN. Their most recent match was the last match of the regular season, where AirAsia Saiyan completely messed up and failed to capitalize on their chance to win.

Everyone was hoping their match in the playoffs would go better, but that hope was misplaced.

In Game 1, ASYN were losing early on, but managed to stabilize in the midgame. Unfortunately, a series of silly mistakes (Soloz getting caught alone, the team failing to capitalize on taking objectives, etc) led to BTR retaking the lead and winning. ASYN turned Game 2 around, with Fredo (Hayabusa), Soloz (Helcurt), and Penjahat (Alice) pulling off good plays. But when it came down to the deciding factor, Game 3, ASYN choked again and failed to capitalize on their lead, letting BTR’s wQxD (Aldous) get fed in the lategame.

He completely demolished ASYN, naturally.

Loser Bracket

Tomorrow, today’s losing teams will be facing each other in the Lower Bracket, in the following matchups.

Saiyan Reborn vs Traitor

GEEK FAM ICON vs AirAsia Saiyan.

Stay tuned to eGG Network, or come drop by Paradigm Mall, to watch these and loads of other cool battles!