Blacklist International rebounded from last week’s setback with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over TNC Pro Team, securing the third spot in the standings during Week 3 of the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League (MPL) Philippines Season 12 at the Shooting Gallery Studios in Makati City on Saturday.
According to Blacklist head coach Aniel “Master the Basics” Jiandani, the team made a calculated decision to take a risk and allow the Fanny pick in Game 3 after TNC managed to force a decisive match.
“Napansin niyo ba nung Game 1 at Game 2, talagang iniiwasan namin ang paglaban kay Fanny dahil ayaw namin sa kanya at kumportable si K1NGKONG sa ganoong paglalaro. Kanina, sinabi namin, ‘Sige, itaya na natin. Pabayaan na natin ang Fanny. Hamunin na lang natin siya. At least, nag-work,” he said.
The Tier One-backed squad has now secured victory in four of their last five games, improving their record to 4-2 with 10 points.
TNC started the series impressively with a strong Game 1 performance, controlling the early stages of the match. However, Stephen “Sensui” Castillo (Akai) executed a timely Heavy Spin at the 15th-minute mark to steal the Lord objective, erasing a 6k net worth deficit.
Kiel “OHEB” Soriano (Claude) then secured a double kill during the 19th minute Lord dance, resulting in a clean 5-0 wipeout as Blacklist pulled ahead, 1-0.
In Game 2, King Cyric “K1NGKONG” Perez (Martis) displayed nerves of steel as he secured the 17th-minute Lord objective before John Vincent “Innocent” Banal (Karrie) managed a double kill to initiate a 3-1 tradeoff. This was enough for TNC to execute a base turret siege, forcing a decisive third game.
In Game 3, Blacklist effectively countered TNC’s Fanny pick, securing all turtle buffs and two Lord objectives to claim the series.
This marked TNC’s fourth consecutive defeat, leaving them with only one victory throughout the season, and they currently occupy the eighth spot with four points.
