Blacklist, BOOM open PKL Fall playoffs with dominant wins
Photo from HoK Philippines Esports
Blacklist, BOOM open PKL Fall playoffs with dominant wins
QUEZON CITY — Blacklist International and BOOM Esports asserted their dominance on the opening day of the Philippine Kings League 2025 Fall Playoffs inside the Trinoma Activity Center on Friday.
The Codebreakers cruised past A.C.T. Esports Club in a 3–0 sweep, while the Hungry Wolves overcame Elevate’s late-game resilience to secure a 3–1 victory.
Blacklist pins ACT with sweep
Dragon Hart “Dragon” Dajao set the tone for Blacklist in Game 1, leading a quick 12-minute victory with two kills and ten assists using Mai Shiranui. His brother, Golden Hart “Goldenk1te” Dajao, backed him up with a flawless 5/0/4 performance on Ao’yin.
It was all Blacklist from start to finish, controlling the map from the first Tyrant take in the fourth minute and never relinquishing their lead.
A.C.T. put up a stronger fight in Game 2, with Ittiphat “Flukeyo” Rawangkarn’s Agudo keeping the Codebreakers on edge with a 6/2/3 KDA. But a pivotal clash near the Tempest Dragon turned the tides as Justine Ritchie “Juschie” Tan’s Yang Jian secured the objective and added a kill with nine assists to close out the game.
Goldenk1te once again came through in Game 3, posting a 6/2/6 stat line on Chano as Blacklist turned a shaky mid-game into a 16-minute victory. A.C.T. briefly led at the 12-minute mark but faltered after a failed engage that saw Flukeyo and Charles “Zeipee” Alferez taken down, allowing the Codebreakers to reclaim control and sweep the series.
BOOM howls past Elevate
BOOM Esports faced a tougher challenge from Elevate, who refused to go down quietly in their best-of-five series.
The Wolves stormed to a 7,000 gold lead in Game 1, but Elevate mounted an incredible comeback after a three-man takedown, eventually seizing the win with Sean Andrei “Hide” Baguino’s clutch 1/5/8 Dharma performance and a game-winning knock-up on three opponents.
The Hungry Wolves regrouped in the following games. John Phillex “Daniii” Bulanadi anchored Game 2 with a solid 5/1/7 Chano performance, while Miguel Klarenz “Miggie” Banaag dominated Game 3 with a 2/2/16 Biron showing to swing the momentum back.
Karl Ken “Karlll” Bautista then put the finishing touch in Game 4, leading BOOM to an eight-minute stomp with his Yang Jian’s 3/0/4 output, giving Elevate no room to recover and sealing the 3–1 win.
A.C.T. Esports Club will now face Elevate in the lower bracket semifinals in a do-or-die matchup, while Blacklist International and BOOM Esports will rekindle their rivalry in the upper bracket finals—a rematch of PKL’s last season’s grand finals.
About Author
