Esports is no stranger to grand tournaments that bring out the best of the best from different regions. One of the most popular games today is Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. This action-packed online multiplayer battle game captivated players worldwide and it was time for the Mobile Legends Southeast Asia Cup (MSC) 2023 to take the excitement to new heights.
As one of the biggest esports tournaments in the region, MSC 2023 promises to be an incredible spectacle that will showcase some of the world’s top Mobile Legends players battling it out for supremacy. With so much anticipation and excitement surrounding this event, let’s take a closer look at what we can expect from MSC 2023.
A brief history of Mobile Legends Southeast Asia Cup (MSC)
Mobile Legends Southeast Asia Cup (MSC) is an annual esports tournament for Mobile Legends: Bang Bang in Southeast Asia. It used to feature the best teams from countries across Southeast Asia only, but this season, teams from non-SEA teams from North America, Turkey and MENA have been invited to participate. MSC started in September 2017 in Jakarta, Indonesia, with eight teams from five countries and a prize pool of $100,000. Since then, MSC has grown exponentially, with more teams and a higher prize pool.
Venue And Schedule For MSC 2023
The tournament took place in Phnom Penh, Cambodia from June 10 to 18 and offered a massive $300,000 USD prize pool. If you were unable to attend in person, you could still catch all the action on the official Mobile Legends: Bang Bang social media platforms.
For those who were eager to witness the excitement firsthand, they headed over to Aeon Mall Mean Chey to experience the live event in person!
Mechanics Of The Tournament
Group Stage
The group stage was a single round-robin format with four groups of three teams each. The top two teams from each group advanced to the knockout stage, while the bottom teams were eliminated. The knockout stage was a single elimination bracket with best-of-five matches, except for the grand final which was a best-of-seven match.
MSC 2023 Highlights
The grand final was a clash of titans between Onic Esports from Indonesia and Blacklist International from the Philippines. Both teams had shown dominant performances throughout the tournament, but only one could claim the title of MSC 2023 champion. The series went back and forth, with each team taking turns to win games. However, in the end, it was Onic Esports who emerged victorious with a 4-2 scoreline, becoming the first team from Indonesia to win MSC.
ONIC Esports had a dominant run throughout the tournament, winning all of their matches except for one loss against RSG Slate SG in the group stage. They breezed through the knockout stage, eliminating EVOS Legends, and ECHO with convincing 3-0 sweeps.
Blacklist International, on the other hand, had a more challenging journey to the grand final. The M3 World Champions had to overcome TODAK, BURN x FLASH, and Fire Flux Impunity in a series that tested their resilience and adaptability, as they’re battling the esports arena with a new team composition carrying two rookies. Proving strong and resilient, Blacklist International emerged as the only team to break ONIC Esports’ win streak in the grand final, taking two games off them with their signature UBE strategy.
Some of the other highlights of MSC 2023 include:
- The dark horse of the tournament was Fire Flux Impunity, who surprised everyone by reaching the semifinals after defeating EVO Esports and Fenix Esports in the group stage and TODAK in the quarterfinals. Fire Flux Impunity was composed of players from North America, Turkey, and MENA regions who had little experience playing together before MSC 2023.
- The most dramatic win of ONIC Esports was against Blacklist International in the fifth game of the grand finals. ONIC Esports was leading by a huge margin in terms of kills and gold, but they made a fatal mistake by diving too deep into Blacklist International’s base without securing any inhibitors. Blacklist International punished them by wiping them out and pushing for the win with their UBE strategy.
- The most improved team of MSC 2023 was EVOS Legends, who bounced back from a poor start in the group stage to reach the quarterfinals. EVOS Legends showed their resilience and experience as the MSC 2019 champions and gave ONIC Esports a close series in the quarterfinals. In the Knockout Stage, they finally allowed Dlar to play the Exp Lane, however, they still weren’t able to score against Onic.
MSC 2023 was a memorable tournament that showcased the best of Mobile Legends: Bang Bang in Southeast Asia and beyond. The event featured exciting matches, amazing plays and unexpected results that kept the viewers entertained and engaged. Congratulations to Onic Esports for winning the tournament and making history as the first team from Indonesia to do so. We hope to see more of these teams and players in the future as they continue to compete and improve in MLBB Esports.