Gaming group Blacklist International from the Philippines was hailed world champions of the recently concluded Mobile Legends: Bang Bang World Championship (M3) last Saturday, December 18.
Blacklist defeated 16 international teams during the competition that was held offline at the Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre in Singapore.
Aside from the sought-after title, the Philippine team also won an impressive $800,000 (P39,922,800) worth of cash prize for their win.
Team member Kiel “OHEB” Soriano, meanwhile, received the Most Valuable Player award with an additional individual $120,000 (P5,988,420) cash prize.
The names of the rest of Blacklist are:
- (Captain) Jonmar “OhMyV33NUS” Villaluna
- Danerie James “Wise.” Del Rosario
- Edward Jay “EDWARD” Dapadap
- Salic “HADJI” Imam
- Mark Jayson “Eson” Gerardo
- Dexter “DEX STAR” Alaba
Their coach Kristoffer Ed “BON CHAN” Ricaplaza expressed gratitude to their fans who supported them throughout the playoffs.
“We would like to thank our supporters for cheering us on. Hearing the roar of a live audience has given us the energy and boost we need,” he said.
The teams they defeated came from Malaysia, Singapore, Brazil, Argentina, Cambodia, Indonesia, North America, Turkey, Middle East, Ukrania and another team from the Philippines, ONIC Philippines.
The hashtags #M3, #BreaktheCode and “Blacklist International” immediately made it to the trending topics of Twitter Philippines after the tournament ended.
Fans expressed their congratulations to the group and cheered them for their hard work.
Wise, OhMyV33NUS, Dlarskie and Baloyskie share a hug as the M3 World Championship concludes.
This is the true essence of Pinoy MLBB. What a moment.#BreakTheCode #ItsONICTime #WeAtTop pic.twitter.com/JMitdJpfLh
— Calvin Trilles (@calvintrilles) December 19, 2021
The one with the humble heart always wins 🖤#BreakTheCode#ProtectTheCrown#PinasLangMalakas pic.twitter.com/VP6mZcwSAR
— grasya (@vwonlyyy) December 18, 2021
Blacklist on Facebook also thanked staff, management and fans for their support.
“Thank you to all the staff and management of Blacklist and Tier One for giving us everything we could need and more, providing us with only the best on our road to get here. #ONEFAM THE BEST,” they said.
“And to you, the fans. Thank you to the Blacklist Agents and The One Percent for your never-ending support and love. Through thick and thin, you stuck by us. We would not have gotten this far without you. This win, this championship, it’s all for you. Thank you,” they added.
Moreover, Blacklist also announced that they will be donating a portion of their win to the typhoon victims of Typhoon “Odette.”
“We also hope you can join us in our next mission to help the victims of typhoon Odette in the Philippines. We will be donating a portion of our winnings to those affected,” they said.
Alodia Gosiengfiao, Blacklist co-owner and vlogger, also shared a photo of herself with the winners.
“Thank you everyone!” she wrote in the caption.
Moreover, Villaluna also shared heartwarming photos with Del Rosario and wrote: ‘World champion na tayo, Wise Gaming! (heart emoji)'”
His post drew in 181,000 reactions comprising 175,000 hearts, 5,800 likes and 3,700 care emojis.
It also circulated 12,000 times on Facebook.
Aside from their victory, the final game also broke streaming records with 3,184,932 peak concurrent viewers.
There were only 170 people at the venue itself.