Echo made history by tying Blacklist International’s win streak record with a 2-1 reverse sweep of TNC Pro Team in the penultimate week of the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League (MPL) Philippines Season 12 at the Shooting Gallery Studios in Makati City on Saturday.
Echo remained undefeated in 11 games this season, matching Blacklist’s 11-game winning streak from Season 8, during which Blacklist went on to win the MPL PH and M3 world championships.
The Orcas continued to lead the standings with 29 points, holding a 10-point lead over second-placed Blacklist, which currently has 19 points.
Despite the victory, Echo found themselves in a closely contested three-game series against TNC. The final two games could have gone either way with just one crucial teamfight. However, Echo prevailed, thanks to Karl “KarlTzy” Nepomuceno’s retribution prowess and the distraction provided by Sanford “Sanford” Vinuya.
“Sanford really disrupted K1NGKONG to prevent him from making a comeback, which is probably why we had an advantage over them,” explained coach Robert “Trebor” Sanchez.
In Game 1, Echo overcame a 7k net worth deficit after Sanford “Sanford” Vinuya (Terizla) secured two kills during the 19th-minute lord fight, sparking a 4-1 wipe.
The match came down to a 24th-minute lord fight, where Jetson “Goyo” Ignacio’s (Lylia) double kill led to a game-winning 4-0 wipe, putting Echo ahead 1-0.
Echo fought back in Game 2, with Karl “KarlTzy” Nepomuceno (Fredrinn) leading the way. The two-time world champion secured all the turtle buffs and three lord objectives to force a rubber match.
KarlTzy’s brilliance was evident in a 19th-minute sequence where he engaged in a one-on-four skirmish along the bottom lane, kickstarting a full-scale team fight that allowed Frederic “Bennyqt” Gonzales (Beatrix) to execute a sneaky backdoor play in the midlane, resulting in a 1-1 score.
Echo showcased a masterclass in the decider, highlighted by a 5th-minute skirmish where Alston “Sanji” Pabico (Valentina) executed a precise flicker + Tyrant’s Rage set-up, followed by KarlTzy’s (Akai) Heavy Spin, enabling Bennyqt (Ixia) to secure a triple kill from the backline with a tremendous Full Barrage.
They concluded the series with a 21-3 kill score, propelled by KarlTzy’s flawless 3-0-15 KDA.
TNC (1-9) now faces a must-win situation as they sit at the bottom of the standings with six points. They trail Smart Omega (4-6), which has 12 points, for the last postseason ticket.
