2024 MPL Philippines season
| 2024 MPL Philippines season | |
|---|---|
| League | MPL Philippines |
| Sport | Mobile Legends: Bang Bang |
| Defending champions | AP Bren (Season 12) (2023) |
| Duration | 15 March - 26 May 2024 (Season 13) August - November (Season 14) |
| Number of teams | 8 |
| Season 13 | |
| Season 14 | |
The 2024 MPL Philippines Season is the seventh year of professional gameplay[1] and the second year of development talent gameplay[2] for the country. MPL Philippines is a professional esports league for the MOBA game Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. The season will be divided into two splits: Season 13 is accompanied by MDL Philippines Season 3, and Season 14, accompanying it will be MDL Season 4. Season 13 will begin by March 15 and conclude the season with the Grand Finals match on May 26, 2024. Meanwhile, Season 14 will likely begin by August and end by November.
MDL Philippines was established as the second development league in Southeast Asia behind MDL Indonesia in 2023 and its first two seasons were played during the same year.[3] Season 13 will be the qualifying tournament for Philippine teams to the 2024 Mid-Season Cup in Riyadh.[4] Season 14 on the other hand will be the qualifying tournament for Philippine teams to the MLBB M6 World Championships in Kuala Lumpur.[5] Only the champions and the runner-up teams will be qualifying for both international tournaments.
Season 13 is the ongoing season for MPL Philippines. It's succeeding a season that culminated the championship of AP Bren for the second time in league history, and the second time in world history after winning the M5 World championship title on home soil against ONIC Esports.[6] Furthermore, the Mid-Season Cup will be hosted for the first time outside of Southeast Asia and the first tournament bearing the rebranded name “Mid-Season Cup”. The tournament was formerly known as the “Southeast Asia Cup”.[7]
Season 14 will be the succeeding season following the Mid Season Cup. The Season 14 champions will become one of two-Filipino teams representing the country and the league in the M6 World Championships in Kuala Lumpur. Currently, three Filipino teams have consecutively-won the last four world championship series: Blacklist International (M3),[8] ECHO Philippines (M4),[9] and AP Bren (M2 and M5).[10]
Occurring in the same year was the international multi-game tournament Games of the Future 2024 which was held in Kazan, Russia.[11] AP Bren and Blacklist International were invited to participate alongside teams that have competed during the M5 World Championships and teams that were directly invited by organizers.
Format[edit]
MPL Philippines’ Seasons are split into two: The Regular Season and the Playoffs. The Regular Season consists of fourteen games. Each team competing will be playing a double-round robin tournament format, facing each other twice in the span of six to eight weeks. Only the top six teams will advance to the playoffs and the remaining two will be eliminated. Furthermore, the Regular Season instituted a new pointing system wherein:
- The team who won a 2-0 series will receive 3 points;
- The team who won a 2-1 series will receive 3 points;
- The team who lost a 2-1 series will receive 1 point;
- The team who lost a 2-0 series will receive 0 points.
Playoff format[edit]
- The Top 6 teams from the Regular Season table will advance to the playoff round. The bottom 2 will be eliminated from contention.
- Teams Seeded 5 and 6 will be facing each other for a Best of 5 series to advance to the second round in a modified King of the Hill Tournament format.
- The winning team from Match 1 will advance to face Seed 4 and play a Best of 5 series to advance to the Upper Bracket Semifinals.
- Seed 3 will be matching up with Seed 2 in the playoffs, making Seed 3 a qualifying team in the semifinals.
- All teams will be playing a Best of 5 series except for the Grand Finals which will be a Best of 7.
Season 13[edit]
| 2024 | |
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Game | Mobile Legends: Bang Bang |
| Location |  Philippines |
| Date | March 15–May 5, 2024 (Regular Season) May 22–May 26, 2024 (Playoffs) |
| Administrator | Moonton |
| Venue(s) | Shooting Gallery Studios (Regular season) SM Southmall (Playoffs) |
| Teams | 8 |
| Defending champions | AP Bren |
| Purse | $150,000 USD |
Season 13 will be the first MPL Philippines Season following the conclusion of the M5 World Championships. During Season 8, MPL Philippines shifted to a franchise-based system, eliminating regional qualifiers for local teams and fixing only eight franchise teams to compete in MPL Philippines. The Philippines is the second league to adhere to the franchise-based system, the other being Indonesia.[12] Season 13 is slated to begin on March 15, 2024, and is expected to conclude its regular season on May 5, 2024. The league will then take a break with the playoffs looming by May 22 to May 26th.[13]
The same 8 teams will be participating in the tournament which includes: AP Bren, Blacklist International, ECHO Philippines, Minana EVOS, ONIC Philippines, Smart Omega, RSG Philippines, and TNC Pro Team.
AP Bren won the Games of the Future tournament in Kazan, defeating ONIC Esports 3 games to 1. AP Bren is the only Filipino team to be part of the Top 4 as Blacklist International lost to Fire Flux Esports of Turkey during the Quarterfinals of the single-elimination bracket.[14]
Transfers[edit]
The following transfers are only from the team's starting five and substitutes along with its coaching and managing staffs.
| AP Bren | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of Transfer | Name | IGN | Role | New Team | Ref |
| 12 January 2024 | Vrendon Lim | Coach Vren | Technical Coach |  RRQ Hoshi
|
[15] |
| 21 February 2024 | Robert Sanchez | Coach Trebor | Assistant Coach | AP Bren
|
[16] |
| Blacklist International | |||||
| 26 January 2024 | Jon Redick Bordeos | Super Red | Gold Lane | EVOS Glory
|
[17] |
| 21 February 2024 | Ian Jakob Seguiran | Rindo | Jungler |  BURN x FLASH
|
[18] |
| Lee Howard Gonzales | Owl | Gold Lane | BURN x FLASH
|
[19] | |
| Kyle Dominic Soto | Dominic | EXP Lane | Blacklist International (Inactive)
|
||
| Renejay Barcase | Renejay | EXP Lane | Blacklist International (Inactive)
|
[20] | |
| ECHO Philippines | |||||
| 29 January 2024 | Tristan Cabrera | YAWI | Roamer | AURA Fire
|
[21] |
| 20 February 2024 | Robert Sanchez | Coach Trebor | Assistant Coach | AP Bren
|
[22] |
| Minana EVOS | |||||
| 5 November 2023 | Borris James Parro | Brusko | Roamer | RRQ Hoshi
|
[23] |
| 2 February 2024 | Jhon Marl Sebastian | JM | EXP Lane | Bigetron Alpha
|
[24] |
| Omega Esports | |||||
| 14 February 2024 | Grant Duane Pillas | Kelra | Gold | ONIC Philippines
|
[25] |
| Patrick James Caidic | E2MAX | EXP Lane | ONIC Philippines
|
[26] | |
| 15 February 2024 | Joshua Garcia Mangilog | Ch4knu | Roamer | Omega Neos
|
[27] |
| 16 February 2024 | Ezequiel Cauilan | Spideeey | Gold Lane | None | [28] |
| ONIC Philippines | |||||
| 9 January 2024 | Mark Genzon Rusiana | Kramm | EXP Lane |  Red Giants Esports
|
[29] |
| 11 January 2024 | Czedrick Romero | Yoshinu | Roamer | TNC Pro Team
|
[30] |
| 13 January 2024 | John Sumawan | Perkz | Roamer | Minana EVOS
|
[31] |
| 15 January 2024 | Dean Christian Sumagui | Raizen | Jungler | TNC Pro Team
|
[32] |
| RSG Philippines | |||||
| 5 January 2024 | John Theo Guinto Eusebio | Theo | Assistant Coach | EVOS Glory
|
[33] |
| 7 January 2024 | Eman Llanda Sangco | EMANN | Gold Lane | Bigetron Alpha
|
[34] |
| 26 January 2024 | Kennt Anthony Baesa | Souuul | Gold Lane | SeeYouSoon
|
[35] |
| TNC Pro Team | |||||
| 13 January 2024 | John Vincent Banal | Innocent | Gold Lane | Red Giant Esports
|
[36] |
| 15 January 2024 | King Cyric Perez | K1NGKONG | Jungler | ONIC Philippines
|
[37] |
| 15 February 2024 | Ajay Rubio | Ajayy | EXP Lane | TNCZ4
|
[38] |
MPL Philippines Season 13[edit]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | GM | GL | +/- | PTS | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AP Bren (Q) | 14 | 11 | 3 | 24 | 8 | +16 | 35 | Advance as the First Seed in the Upper Bracket Semifinals |
| 2 | ECHO Philippines (Q) | 14 | 9 | 5 | 21 | 12 | +9 | 30 | Advance to the Upper Bracket Semifinals |
| 3 | ( 1) RSG Philippines (Q)
|
13 | 9 | 4 | 19 | 11 | +8 | 28 | |
| 4 | ( 1)ONIC Philippines (Q)
|
14 | 9 | 5 | 19 | 10 | +9 | 28 | Advance to Round 2 |
| 5 | ( 1) Minana EVOS (Q)
|
14 | 6 | 8 | 15 | 17 | 0 | 21 | Advance to Round 1 |
| 6 | ( 1) Blacklist International (Q)
|
13 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 19 | -6 | 19 | |
| 7 | Omega Esports (E) | 14 | 3 | 11 | 8 | 23 | -15 | 11 | Eliminated from Playoff Contention |
| 8 | TNC Pro Team (E) | 14 | 2 | 12 | 6 | 25 | -19 | 8 |
(E) Eliminated; (Q) Qualified to the phase indicated
Playoffs[edit]
AP Bren was the first team to qualify for the Playoffs during their Week 5, 2-0 sweep over TNC Pro Team which propelled them to an 8-1 record, seeding ONIC Philippines to Number 2 following their loss to RSG Philippines during Day 1 of Week 5. Moreover, ONIC Philippines was the next team to qualify for the playoffs after winning over Smart Omega in Week 5 Day 2.
After a 2-0 victory over ONIC Philippines in Week 6, Minana EVOS qualified for the playoffs as the potential fifth seed for the first time since Season 9 when they were still branded as "Nexplay EVOS". This is the first playoffs for Minana EVOS since their rebrand.[39]
TNC Pro Team misses the playoffs for the fourth-consecutive season after losing 2-0 to their Week 6 match. TNC Pro Team's last playoff appearance was their third-place finish during MPL Philippines Season 9.[40]
Blacklist International secures the final playoff spot after winning one match against ECHO Philippines to tie the game series 1-1. That gave Blacklist International enough games to qualify for the MPL Philippines Season 13 playoffs, thereby eliminating Smart Omega from playoff contention.
After a 2-1 victory over ECHO Philippines, AP Bren finishes the regular season with an 11-3 record and 35 points in the regular season, giving them the first seed spot in the playoffs. However, ECHO Philippines will await the results of RSG Philippines vs. Blacklist International in order to solidify their position as the second seed. However, ECHO will not be knocked out in the Top 3 due to their total number of points, thereby making ONIC Philippines the Number 4 seed despite having a tied 9-5 record.
| Gauntlet Round 1 (Best of 5) | Gauntlet Round 2 (Best of 5) | Upper Semifinals (Best of 5) | Upper Final (Best of 5) | Grand Final (Best of 5) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | AP Bren | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Seed No. 4 | Gauntlet Match No. 2 Winner | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Blacklist Int. | = Gauntlet Match No. 1 Winner | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Minana EVOS | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | ECHO/RSG | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | ECHO/RSG | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lower Semifinal (Best of 5) | Lower final | ||||||||||||||||||||||
MDL Philippines Season 3[edit]
Unlike the second season of MDL Philippines, only ten teams will be competing in the tournament with Euphoria Esports and MHRLK Esports exiting the amateur scene.[41]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | (-) RRQ Kaito (Q) | 9 | 9 | 0 | 18 | 3 | +15 | 24 | Upper Bracket Qualification |
| 2 | (-) Omega Neos (Q) | 9 | 6 | 3 | 13 | 6 | +7 | 19 | |
| 3 | (-) Blacklist Academy (Q) | 9 | 5 | 4 | 11 | 8 | +3 | 16 | Playoff Qualification |
| 4 | (-) ONIC Arsenals (Q) | 9 | 5 | 4 | 12 | 10 | +2 | 15 | |
| 5 | (-) ECHO Proud (Q) | 9 | 5 | 4 | 12 | 10 | +2 | 15 | |
| 6 | (-) TNCZ4 (Q) | 9 | 5 | 4 | 11 | 10 | +1 | 14 | |
| 7 | (-) AP Bren XIA (E) | 9 | 4 | 5 | 10 | 11 | −1 | 13 | Eliminated from Playoff contention |
| 8 | (-) RSG El Ganador (E) | 9 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 13 | −6 | 9 | |
| 9 | (-) GameLab (E) | 9 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 15 | −7 | 8 | |
| 10 | (-) Minana Archives (E) | 9 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 18 | −16 | 2 |
Playoffs[edit]
Similar to the former playoff tournament of MPL Philippines prior to Season 13, MDL Philippines Season 3 will transition from a double-elimination bracket to a single-elimination bracket of the Top 6 teams. Teams seeded third to sixth will play in the Quarterfinals/Knockout Round and will advance to face the first and second seed in the Semifinals. All games apart from the Grand Finals will be played in a Best of 3. The Finals will be played as a Best of 5.
| Quarterfinals (Best of 3) | Semifinals (Best of 3) | Grand Finals (Best of 5) | ||||||||||||
| 1 | RRQ Kaito | |||||||||||||
| 4 | ONIC Arsenals | Winner of Match No. 1 | ||||||||||||
| 5 | ECHO Proud | |||||||||||||
| 2 | Omega Neos | |||||||||||||
| 3 | Blacklist Academy | Winner of Match No. 2 | ||||||||||||
| 6 | TNCZ4 | |||||||||||||
Controversies[edit]
Controversial comment[edit]
Season 13 was known for having a controversial occurrence during the Third Week of Professional Play when Ian "Fywdchickn" Hohl of Gaimin Gladiators commented in a stream of his thoughts of MPL Philippines Season 13. Initially, Hohl critiqued MPL Philippines and MPL Indonesia together, citing that the production of MPL Indonesia was relatively better than that of MPL Philippines but quickly reiterated that the Philippines' gameplay is substantially better.[42] During the first day of the third week, Hohl's image alongside the exact comment he made was posted during the livestream which the casters have quoted "MPL Philippines is boring".
Continuous backlash was thrown at Hohl for his comments with even players being asked to comment regarding the issue which included David "FlapTzy" Canon and King "K1NGKONG" Perez of AP Bren and ONIC Philippines to name a few, respectively. In retaliation, Hohl made a public response regarding the matter on his personal YouTube channel which he criticized MPL Philippines' production for manipulating its fans.[43]
In a podcast episode from Mara "Mara" Aquino–one of the hosts whom quoted the comment made by Hohl, discussed it alongside David "Assassin Dave" Mao–host-turned head coach in North America, regarding the quote.[44] Hohl personally apologized to Aquino (whom she thanked for posting his response video) following the backlash she received upon the video's posting, to which Aquino affirmed Hohl that it was okay. He also gave thanks to Johnmar "OhMyV33Nus" Villaluna who made a different video citing his comments regarding the issue.
Game Fixing Controversy[edit]
On 25 April 2024, Francis "Duckeyyy" Glindro posted on his official Facebook Page a screenshot of former University of Santo Tomas Teletigers Esports Club Head Coach Jigen Paul "Jigen Paul" Masangkay's profile alongside a messenger conversation allegedly working a deal with amateur players to game fix certain matches.[45] The conversation asked an unidentified individual if he/she is willing to pay a ₱100,000 fee (US$1,734.97) to game fix three MPL or MDL Philippines matches. Following the allegations, all MPL organizations and amateur teams have released statements regarding the matter and have launched independent investigations regarding the allegations.
At 9:55 PM of the same day, TNCZ4, the MDL Team affiliated to TNC Pro Team and Z4 Esports have suspended Jhonjie Paul "Jiee" Dela Rosa following match-making allegations surfaced online with tagged screenshots of his conversations with an unidentified individual. Furthermore, Z4 Esports' co-founded JC "King Cosmos" Garcia had inquired a league-wide investigation of the matter.[46]
On 26 April, RSG Philippines released a statement that two amateur players from their affiliated MDL team, RSG-El Ganador Esports in Raven "Aeris" Arellano and Christian John "Nyija" Calantoc were guilty of the match-making allegations and have terminated their rookie contracts following the ordeal.[47]
See also[edit]
- MPL Philippines
- MPL Indonesia
- Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
- Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Mid Season Cup
- Mobile Legends: Bang Bang World Championship
References[edit]
- ^ "Full list of MPL PH winners throughout the years | ONE Esports". www.oneesports.gg. 2023-11-01. Retrieved 2024-02-21.
- ^ magazine, adobo (2023-04-24). "Echo Proud becomes first champions of MDL-PH – adobo Magazine". adobo Magazine Online. Retrieved 2024-02-21.
- ^ "Moonton unveils MDL PH, Philippines' development league | ONE Esports". www.oneesports.gg. 2023-01-25. Retrieved 2024-02-21.
- ^ Daniels, Tom (23 January 2024). "Mobile Legends' Mid Season Cup to take place at Esports World Cup". Esports Insider. p. 1.
- ^ "Mobile Legends: Malaysia will host M6 World Championship next year". Yahoo News. 2023-12-17. Retrieved 2024-02-21.
- ^ Saldajeno, Ivan Steward (December 18, 2023). "AP Bren wins M5 World Championship". Philippine News Agency. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
- ^ Lojo, Michelle. "Moonton renames MSC to Mid-Season Cup as new regions join". Philstar.com. Retrieved 2024-02-21.
- ^ "Blacklist International sweep ONIC PH 4-0 to win M3 World Championship". Yahoo News. 2021-12-19. Retrieved 2024-02-21.
- ^ "ECHO sweep Blacklist International 4-0 to take Mobile Legends M4 world champions crown". Yahoo News. 2023-01-15. Retrieved 2024-02-21.
- ^ "Bren Esports wraps up M2 Worlds millions richer". RAPPLER. 2021-01-25. Retrieved 2024-02-21.
- ^ "Games of the Future 2024". dspkazan.com (in Russian). 2023-03-11. Retrieved 2024-02-22.
- ^ Dannug, Jonash (2021-06-04). "SOURCES: MPL PH looks to shift to franchise model starting Season 8". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved 2024-02-21.
- ^ Elona, Jules (5 March 2024). "When does MPL PH Season 13 start?". One Esports. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
- ^ "Mobile Legends News : Blacklist International knocked out from Games of the Future 2024 | GosuGamers". www.gosugamers.net. Retrieved 2024-03-02.
- ^ https://www.spin.ph/esports/coach-vren-rrq-s-prized-acquisition-is-in-indonesia-a4858-20240112?ref=feed_1_section
- ^ https://www.spin.ph/esports/bren-acquires-coach-trebor-while-echo-enters-s13-without-an-analyst-a4858-20240221?ref=feed_1_author
- ^ https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/01/29/24/mlbb-super-red-coach-theo-reinforce-evos-lineup
- ^ https://afkgaming.com/mobileesports/news/burn-x-flash-unveils-games-of-the-future-mlbb-roster-featuring-4-ph-imports
- ^ https://afkgaming.com/mobileesports/news/burn-x-flash-unveils-games-of-the-future-mlbb-roster-featuring-4-ph-imports
- ^ https://pinoygamer.ph/threads/blacklist-international-official-lineup-for-mpl-ph-season-13-announced-with-renejay-and-v33wise-taking-a-break.23633/
- ^ https://www.oneesports.gg/mobile-legends/aura-fire-yawi-mpl-id-season-13/
- ^ https://www.spin.ph/esports/bren-acquires-coach-trebor-while-echo-enters-s13-without-an-analyst-a4858-20240221?ref=feed_1_author
- ^ -
- ^ https://afkgaming.com/mobileesports/news/bigetron-alpha-acquires-emann-and-lord-jm-for-its-mlbb-roster
- ^ https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/sports/othersports/897802/h2wo-returns-to-mpl-as-part-of-omega-kelra-signs-with-onic/story/
- ^ https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/sports/othersports/897802/h2wo-returns-to-mpl-as-part-of-omega-kelra-signs-with-onic/story/
- ^ https://www.spin.ph/esports/here-s-why-ch4knu-is-playing-in-the-mdl-a4858-20240216?ref=article_tag
- ^ -
- ^ https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0LaJm8VdKdLCAFcMQvQUSs4eGMini1oHfNvdQ6RmUh8FV1RU4PR1weCBYaykx5XeNl&id=100063522618270&mibextid=Nif5oz&paipv=0&eav=AfZZrTizqZ8-Juou4v6e8I4g2vkVWZ_yC92dsxC9Ko5aswoGyMExk4ogxx3Iik9zzss&_rdr
- ^ https://afkgaming.com/mobileesports/news/onic-ph-unveils-mpl-ph-season-13-roster-featuring-kelra-and-k1ngkong
- ^ https://afkgaming.com/mobileesports/news/minana-evos-yellyhaze-shifts-back-to-mid-laner-for-mpl-ph-season-13
- ^ https://afkgaming.com/mobileesports/news/onic-ph-unveils-mpl-ph-season-13-roster-featuring-kelra-and-k1ngkong
- ^ https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/01/29/24/mlbb-super-red-coach-theo-reinforce-evos-lineup
- ^ https://www.spin.ph/esports/emann-officially-departs-rsg-philippines-a4858-20240107?ref=feed_1_section
- ^ -
- ^ https://www.fragster.com/mlbb-stormie-kramm-and-innocent-join-yoodo-red-giants/
- ^ https://afkgaming.com/mobileesports/news/onic-ph-unveils-mpl-ph-season-13-roster-featuring-kelra-and-k1ngkong
- ^ -
- ^ Coloma, AC (April 26, 2024). "MPL Season 13: At long last, Minana EVOS secures playoffs berth". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "OMG get revenge on TNC, set up grand finals clash with RSG at MPL PH Season 9 Playoffs". Yahoo News. 2022-05-01. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
- ^ "MDL PH Season 3 | Schedule, Format, Standings". www.rivalry.com. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
- ^ "Portal Berita, Download Game dan Beli Voucher Game Terpercaya Di Indonesia". duniagames.co.id. Retrieved 2024-04-16.
- ^ Rossel, John Dave (2024-04-09). "FwydChickn Calls Out MPL PH for Taking His Broadcast Comparison Out of Context". AFK Gaming. Retrieved 2024-04-16.
- ^ MARA AND FWYDCHICKN FINALLY TALKED ABOUT THE "MISQUOTED" ISSUE. Retrieved 2024-04-16 – via www.youtube.com.
- ^ @bravo6livePH; @bravo6livePH (2024-04-25). "BREAKING: Student MLBB coach named in MDL-PH match-fixing scandal, org kicks him out". Fragster. Retrieved 2024-04-27.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "DEVELOPING STORY: MDL PH teams sanction players as match-fixing investigations are underway". www.linkedin.com. Retrieved 2024-04-27.
- ^ "RSG identifies players involved in alleged MDL match fixing". Spin.ph. Retrieved 2024-04-27.
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