Yesterday, we witnessed 4 Malaysian teams battle for 3 regular season slot in the 3rd season of MPL-MY/SG. After 2 gruelling qualifier days where more than 1000 teams battled tooth and nail for a chance at Mobile Legends glory, we were left with 4: EDG Project (EDG), Xpax X-Assins, Mysterious Assassin (MYA) and ICON MY (ICON). The first two are up-and-coming teams, whereas MYA and ICON are no strangers, having previously qualified for MPL.
Let’s break down what happened on Sunday.
Semi-final 1:
Xpax X-Assins vs ICON MY
Game 1.
MPL-MY/SG Season 2 veterans ICON faced newbees Xpax X-Assins and put up a breathtaking performance by picking Kimmy, whereas Xpax X-Assins responded with a Lunox. ICON played extremely aggressive in the early stages of the game with a teamfight-oriented hero lineup which included Minotaur and Kaja. Xpax X-Assins looked clueless as they were ran over by a rampant ICON. King Ketom’s Hayabusa was outstanding and his focused kill on Arab’s Lunox late in the game sealed ICON’s victory.
Game 2.
ICON’s desire to qualify for MPL-MY/SG was strong, and for the second game, they decided to stick with a draft fairly similar to their game 1 lineup. On the other hand, Xpax X-Assins switched up their overall strategy by picking Helcurt and Harley as their core heroes. In the second minute, ICON took an early Turtle with ease, causing their opponents to play defensively. Nevertheless, their split push failed because they were often caught by Cometopapa’s Gusion. ICON finally defeated Xpax-Assins 2-0, securing their regular season spot, and dropping their opponents to the bronze match.
Semi-final 2:
EDG Project vs Mysterious Assassin
Game 1.
This was another match featuring a new team against a veteran squad. Mysterious Assassin (MYA) did not give EDG much room in the game by getting off to a great start – killing 2 heroes before the first minute. After that, Flint’s Gusion had a triple kill after EDG tried to steal the Turtle from MYA. EDG did not give up and they successfully stole Lord right under MYA’s noses. Nevertheless, EDG lost too many players in that fight, which was enough for MYA to quickly push for the victory.
Game 2.
EDG weren’t going to bow out tamely and in the second game picked a teamfight-heavy lineup with Minotaur and Akai. This is in stark contract to MYA who picked heroes with high burst damage like Selena and the late-game Karrie. The early stages of the game saw both teams on par, but after EDG managed to secure Lord, they played more aggressive which unnerved MYA slightly. Nevertheless, Karrie managed to hit her peak and EDG’s tanky heroes felt like creeps to her. With a strong Karrie, MYA booked their spots in season 3 with EDG needing to face Xpax X-Assins in the bronze match.
Bronze Match:
Xpax X-Assasins vs EDG Project
Game 1.
EDG started the game explosively and won all three of their lanes. Nevertheless, Xpax X-Assins played cautiously and waited for the right time to strike back. Smooth’s Ruby was crucial for Xpax X-Assins to snatch kills here and there, and slowly but surely Xpax X-Assins gained momentum to stand toe-to-toe against EDG. Towards the end of the game, Claude, played by Xpax’s Ax was too strong for EDG, and it was a beautiful display of patient play, and having a good understanding of their team’s lineup.
Game 2.
This was do or die for EDG. Lose this game and they were out. For Xpax, it was just one step away from a coveted regular season spot. At the start, Xpax controlled the pace of the game which made EDG take risks and play somewhat rashly. In fact, EDG shocked Xpax with a Chou maniac from Quinn in a mid-game fight. Xpax were close to defeat but survived thanks once again to a farmed Karrie. They won the match 2-0 and become the third and final Malaysian team to qualify for the MPL-MY/SG Season 3 regular season.
A big congratulations to ICON, MYA and Xpax X-Assins who have qualified for the regular season. The Singapore qualifier take place next weekend, so be sure to follow the news and catch the best Mobile Legends action.
Find out the last team that will make up the top 10 teams qualifying for the regular season!
