MPL Philippines Final Day a Tale of 3 Teams

MPL Philippines Final Day a Tale of 3 Teams

The Final Day of the MPL Philippines Season 11 has come and gone and we have crowned our latest champion ECHO Philippines. The team defeated the defending champions Blacklist International 4-0 which you can all read it here.

The finals was technically a rematch of the MPL Season 10 and M4 World Championship finals. But this is not what I want to talk to you about in this feature article. This more of what we saw during the coverage of the final 2 days.

Being Humble in Victory and Gracious in Defeat.

This something that really I was really happy in covering the MPL Season 11. Mind you this is the first time I have covered an entire season. During the playoff the winning and losing teams were given time to talk to the press.  This might have been my first time covering the MPL, but this is not my first rodeo in covering esports or even other sporting events. In my humble opinion the MPL is one of the best if not the best Esports Tournaments in the country. But I digress from the topic.

The winning teams were humble in answering our questions all thru out the week. But let us focus on the final day on the Final 3 teams. This are 3 of the most popular and professional team teams in the MPL.

RSG Slate 

RSG Slate led by their management and Coach Panda were class personified. They send word on Day 3 that they begged off the press conference since they finished the Match with Blacklist Late and will have an early match the next day. This is understandable since their turn around time is less than 14 hours.

Unfortunately for RSG Slate they lost to the eventual winners ECHO Esports in the lower bracket finals. But true to form which they have been showing all season, they showed up to the press conference. Coach Panda was beaming with praises toward his team, they had a rollercoaster of a season with ups and downs. But as he explained the team pulled thru and exceed his expectations in the playoffs. They answered all our questions with a heavy heart after loosing a close 3-2 lower bracket finals. Coach Panda also stated that they are excited to play in season 12 with the M5 World Championships as their Goal.

Blacklist International

Let us address the elephant in the room. Blacklist International did not show up for their interview after losing to ECHO 4-0. I mean this is the first time I have personally encountered this. To be honest it is always difficult to ask questions to the losing side.

This is something that the Organizations needs to address since they are banking on sportsmanship and respecting the game. I know this is hard, but when you have fans cheering you, sponsors that you represent, then this is one of your obligations. I have heard that this is not the first time that they have done this. Now we can all make the excuse that they are just concerned about their well being and mental health, members of the team being minor. But this is where the organization’s management should step in and guide the them. They are after all your bread and butter.

Personally, I am expecting a lot from this level of competition and professionalism from the Organization. The Organization should look at this as their opportunity to grow and become better. The tournament organizers should also be part of the discussion on how this can be improved.

ECHO Philippines

What can I say, the champs for the first time in the MPL Philippines. Not to long ago they were on the other side. They faced the media after losing in the finals to the very same team they beat this year. They also faced the media when RSG Slate took down in the second day of the playoffs. They also were gracious enough to answer all our questions after winning the crown.

ECHO has gone thru the the highs and lows in their campaign in MPL. But they have shown humility in their Victory, while being gracious when the were Defeated. This is where class and culture comes from. It involves everybody in the organization.

Looking Forward

The MPL Philippines is in their 11th season and still is evolving to become better. The team is tirelessly working hard to be better than the last season. We are all part of it, The organizations, the Tournament Organizers, the Media, Sponsor and Fans all work together to improve the game we love.

Now we are excited for the SEA Games, MSC 2023 and Season 12 of the MPL Philippines. Until then, let have the teams get their well deserved rest.

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Christian Pena

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