HOK Championship 2024 review: Black Shrew Grabs Title; PH Bets Impress in Campaign

HOK Championship 2024 review: Black Shrew Grabs Title; PH Bets Impress in Campaign

JAKARTA, Indonesia — The 2024 Honor of Kings Championship wrapped up at Kemang Village after 16 days of thrilling action. Fans witnessed the best of HOK competition from group stages to the grand finals, with 16 teams from 10 countries showcasing their skills.

Black Shrew’s Dominant Form Continues

Malaysia’s top team, Black Shrew Esports, continued their meteoric rise on the global Honor of Kings scene, claiming the 2024 world championship crown.

BSE swept Indonesia’s finest, Dominator Esports, 4-0 in the grand finals, halting Adrian “Toshi” Bacallo’s quest for his first international esports title. After finishing second in their group behind Hong Kong’s Fearless Esports, the former LGD Gaming MY squad fought through a tough five-game series against Nova Esports before avenging their group-stage loss to Fearless in the upper bracket semifinals.

From there, Dominator Esports faced the full force of BSE’s unstoppable form, falling 1-3 in the upper bracket finals before suffering a swift 0-4 sweep in their grand finals rematch.

Bounce back from BOOM

BOOM Esports rebounded from a disappointing 2024 HOK Invitational Midseason by advancing past the group stage, besting Brazilian teams Alpha7 Esports, 2-0 and Influence Rage, 2-1.

Led by Christian “Ciiyan” Villegas, they fought valiantly against Fearless in the upper bracket quarterfinals, eventually falling after four games. In the lower bracket, they finished in a commendable joint 7th-8th place after a tough loss to Nova.

Blacklist’s international campaign impresses

Blacklist International also powered through the group stages, overcoming EMEA’s Team Vitality and Indonesia’s Kagendra.

The team, who had only six months of experience in the game, upset Malaysian powerhouse Team Secret in a tightly contested best-of-five in the upper bracket quarterfinals.

However, their journey ended after a 0-3 defeat against Dominator in the upper bracket and a similar scoreline in the lower bracket against Nova.

The journey’s just beginning for PH HOK scene

In their inaugural world championship campaign, the Filipino teams stood out, surpassing many European and Brazilian counterparts. Their performance against top global HOK teams signals a bright future for the Philippine scene in international esports.

Black Shrew Esports coach Kok Kiong “Joker” Lai noticed the improvement of Filipino teams, noting Blacklist’s upset against Team Secret.

“They have won against Team Secret, and everyone didn’t expect them. This also proves that the Philippines are improving their game level. So I am happy to see this,” said the champion gaffer.

With their growing momentum, the sky is the limit for the country’s Honor of Kings players.