TLPH clinches historic MSC title, ends SRG.OG reign

Team Liquid Philippines (TLPH) finally conquered the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Mid-Season Cup (MSC), toppling defending champion Selangor Red Giants.OG (SRG.OG) with a 4-1 triumph in the grand finals of the Esports World Cup, held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, August 2.

The reigning MPL Philippines champions recovered from an opening loss with four consecutive victories to deliver the Philippines’ first MSC crown since 2022 and take home the US$1,000,000 grand prize or approximately ₱58 million.

EXP laner Sanford ‘Sanford’ Vinuya was named Finals MVP and won an additional US$10,000 (about ₱580,000) with an average of 2 kills, 3.2 deaths, and 6.8 assists across the series.

The historic championship also solidified the two-time M-series champion, four-time MPL PH champ, and SEA Games gold medalist Karl Gabriel ‘Karltzy’ Nepomuceno’s legacy as he secured the lone missing title in his seven-year professional career, cementing his status as the face of MLBB.

TLPH struggled to establish an early lead as the Malaysian champions dominated the kill count, 19-5, behind a masterful  zoning of Hazziq ‘Stormie’ Riswan’s Pharsa in Game 1.

However, the Filipinos refused to falter.

Coach Rodel “Arsy” Cruz recalibrated the cavalries draft, targeting Mark Genzon ‘KRAMM’ Rusiana with EXP lane bans, while ‘Karltzy’s Yi Sun-Shin and Kiel ‘OHEB’ Soriano’s Harith thrived on their comfort picks to lead an 18-minute bounce-back win and tie the series.

In Game 3, the Filipinos maintained their composure as SRG.OG squandered an 11-3 kill lead and 1,800 gold lead, with Karltzy reigniting the Cavalry through a pivotal third turtle steal, anchored by Jaypee “Jaypee” Dela Cruz’s Baxia who tallied 12 assists to power a 4-1 clash that sealed the win in 14 minutes.

TLPH completely crushed the Giants in Game 4 with 19-2 kill lead in just 10 minutes as Karltzy’s Hayabusa outclassed Muhammad Haqqullah ‘Sekyss’ Shahrul Zaman’s Lancelot with 4/0/10 KDA to put the cavalry in a 3-1 lead.

Coach Arsy’s squad went full-throttle as they post a 13-0 kill count as OHEB’s Granger starred with 13/1/2 KDA and Alston ‘Sanji’ Pabico’s Zhuxin’s 15 assists with zero deaths before they left Stormie’s 

Pharsa to defend in the second lord push that completely sealed the deal.

TLPH bolstered their franchise with 1,000 club points while SRG.OG failed to reclaim their MSC crown and dropped into second place, bagging US $500,000 and 750 club points.

Meanwhile, ONIC Philippines outlasted ONIC Esports in a tight 3-2 series, roaring back from a 1-2 deficit behind Duane ‘Kelra’ Pillas’ gold lane heroics to clinch third place and send their international counterpart to fourth.