Francis “Duckey” Glindro has revealed that Bren Esports unanimously picked Blacklist International to be included in its bracket for the upcoming MPL Philippines Season 11 playoffs.
In an exclusive interview with Tiebreaker Times, the MPL champion coach said that the team felt they were better equipped to face the reigning MPL Philippines champion in the playoffs, considering the results of their regular season match-ups.
The M2 world champion scored a massive sweep of Blacklist International in the first round before replicating the same feat in the second round.
It was in their second faceoff where they registered the fastest match of the season, finishing off the Tier One-backed squad in just 10 minutes and 20 seconds of game time. In addition to that, Bren Esports managed to dissect Blacklist International’s patented healing strategy centered around Johnmar “OhMyV33NUS” Villaluna’s Estes both times in the same series.
(C) MPL PH
“It was a unanimous decision since we feel like we know how [Blacklist] operates inside the game,” said Duckey as Bren Esports opted to place the M3 world champion in their bracket instead of the fourth-seeded RSG Slate PH.
After getting picked by Bren Esports in their bracket, Blacklist International selected long-time rival Omega Esports to be their match-up in the first round of the playoffs. The winner of the Blacklist International-Omega Esports series will get the chance to face the top-ranked squad in the upper bracket semifinals.
Bren Esports also holds the edge over the SMART-backed squad after taking both their first and second round match-ups. But despite their winning record over both teams, Duckey and the rest of the squad are leaving no stone unturned as they try to win their first title since Season Six.
“It’s hard to say with all things considered. Both of these teams have been performing well in the later stages of the regular season, so it wouldn’t be an easy ride for us,” he said.
