Blacklist crash out of KWC 2025 after collapse against BOOM Esports
Photo from HoK Global Esports / Esports World Cup
Blacklist crash out of KWC 2025 after collapse against BOOM Esports
RIYADH — Blacklist International exit the Honor of Kings World Cup 2025 early after a 1-2 heartbreak against BOOM Esports in an all-Filipino clash in the group stage decider.
The Codebreakers, hailed as one of Southeast Asia’s strongest contenders following their deep runs in the HOK Invitational Season 3 and Philippine Kings League 2025 Spring, fall short of expectations as the first team eliminated from the tournament.
Blacklist started strong with a clean Game 1 victory, wrapping up the match in under 14 minutes. Chammy “Chammy1” Nazarrea’s Dharma led the charge with a 4/1/6 performance, while Goldenk1te’s Lady Sun backed it up with a 4/2/6 stat line.
On the other side, BOOM’s Adrian “Toshi” Bacallo struggled to get going on Loong, finishing with zero kills and only four assists.
Momentum shifted in Game 2 as Blacklist looked poised to close the series, holding a near 10,000 gold lead at the 15-minute mark. But a mistimed base push gave BOOM just the window they needed.
Toshi, this time on Chano, flipped the script with two clutch kills, while John Lloyd “Impressive” dela Cruz’s Dolia contributed to all nine of BOOM’s kills in a game-defining comeback.
Blacklist once again built a mid-game lead in the decider, but poor decision-making proved costly. A prolonged overstay in BOOM’s jungle led to a decisive counterattack, with Karl “Karlll” Bautista’s Lam catching the Codebreakers off guard.
BOOM capitalized fully on the last clash near the Tempest Dragon, cleaning up the Blacklist squad one by one and sealing the series to book a rematch against Gen.G Esports.
Blacklist International end their KWC 2025 campaign as joint 15th–18th placers, securing a US$60,000 prize for their efforts.
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