Blacklist, Talon PH fall short of Pokémon UNITE Asia Champions League 2025 top four
Blacklist, Talon PH fall short of Pokémon UNITE Asia Champions League 2025 top four
Filipino teams Blacklist International and Talon Esports PH bows out of the Pokémon UNITE Asia Champions League 2025 Southeast Asia as the playoffs conclude on Saturday.
Blacklist finished in joint 7th-8th place, while Talon ended in joint 5th-6th place, not enough to grab a direct spot to Japan for the Pokémon UNITE Asia Champions League 2025.
Two straight losses to end BLCK’s run
The Codebreakers suffered a 0-2 loss in the first round against Paper Rex, sending them to the lower bracket.
Yemu’s Tsareena led the way for PRX in Game 1, scoring 222 points, while Bocchi’s Snorlax scored 128 while tanking most of Blacklist’s damage.
Cent’s Greninja put up 86 in a losing effort, as Blacklist failed to hold on to a small lead heading into the final stretch.
Paper Rex then went on to win Game 2, 762-358, with Solo’s Lucario scoring 310 points to led the Singapore-based team to the upper bracket semifinals.
This time, Blacklist saw themselves lagging from the mid-game, losing out on the Regirock and the Regileki that started their demise on the final stretch.
Blacklist fought hard against top-seeded Buriram United Esports but lost the series 1-2 to be eliminated in contention.
Buriram grabbed the win in Game 1 in an off-stream match, but Blacklist made it into a series, getting a 1-1 draw and forcing a decider Game 3.
However, the Thais proved why they are the top-seeded team in the competition and ended the Codebreakers’ hopes.
Talon PH almost made it
It was a different first round match for Talon PH, who defeated Indonesia ‘s EVOS Onyx in two games.
All five Talon players scored 100 or more points, with SynC1’s Ceruledge getting 176 along with 12 kills and nine assists.
It was more of the same for Game 2, as SynC1 led the team once more with the Greninja, scoring 223 points in a 944-106 annihilation.
Kyy’s Umbreon scored 221 and Dylan’s Espeon tallied 215 as they prevented any fight back from the Indonesia-based squad.
However, Alter Ego proved to be a different challenge for the Filipinos, who defeated them 442-368 in Game 1 of the upper bracket semis.
zzzRay’s Espeon led Alter Ego with 172 points as the completed a comeback in the final stretch with 106 points scored before the Rayquaza fight.
Talon found themselves in a worse scenario as they were dominated 757-314, with Shingdi’s Glaceon scoring 258 points of his own.
RBX’s Psyduck scored 86 points but Talon’s lineup backfired when they cannot score after the first five minutes of action.
In an off-stream match,. Buriram made it two in a row against Filipino teams as they handed a 0-2 loss to Talon to end their run and claim the Thai’s ticket to Japan.
Miraen Sejong’s dream run
The story of the tournament belongs to Korean side Miraen Sejong, who barely made it to the playoffs and needed a good run in Week 6.
MSJ, considered as odds-on underdogs, upset Buriram United in three games before sweeping second-seeded Paper Rex.
Alter Ego proved to be a different challenge for MSJ, with the Indonesians giving them a 2-1 loss to send them to the lower bracket.
The Koreans meanwhile proceeded to beat Buriram once more, who progressed after sending Paper Rex home 2-1 in the lower bracket semifinals.
MSJ only needed two games in dominant fashion to seal their ticket to the Grand Finals and meet with Alter Ego once more.
It was again the Indonesians who met the Koreans in the Grand Finals, who they preceded to beat them twice to claim the championship.
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