ONIC Esports exacted revenge, beating Blacklist International to win the Mobile Legends Southeast Asia Cup over the weekend at the Aeon Mall Mean Chey in Phnom Penh.
Led by Filipino jungler Kairi “Kairi” Rayosdelson and Filipino coach Paul Denver “Yeb” Miranda, the Indonesian club snapped the Philippines’ two-year reign with a masterful 4-2 win over Blacklist to claim the crown and take home a $140,000 cash prize.
It was an impressive run for ONIC Esports as it shocked M4 Mobile Legends world champion ECHO in the semifinals before pulling the rug from under Blacklist, which had beaten it twice in the grand finals.
Kairi said gaining revenge is truly a great feeling.
“It feels good because we were beaten twice in the grand finals by Blacklist. It served as one of our motivations with Coach Yeb,” Kairi said, recalling the 0-4 beating they suffered at the hands of Blacklist in the M3 world championship in 2021.
“After more than a year, we finally completed our payback. I was happy and at the same time felt bad for beating Edward (Edward Dapadap) but he congratulated me and told me that I deserve it.”
A four-time Mobile Legends Professional League Indonesia champion, ONIC Esports became the first team in the competitive Mobile Legends: Bang Bang history to win the MSC title twice. Their first international win was in 2019.
ONIC Esports was also one of three favorites to win MSC 2023, along with world champions ECHO and Blacklist, which they both beat on their way to the championship.
Yeb said winning the MSC is a great morale booster as they set their sights on the M5 World Championship which is set later this year in the Philippines.
“It will boost confidence for the upcoming tournaments. If we are still blessed, we hope to participate in the M-Series,” Yeb said.
