A new world champion has been crowned, although, from the same country as the Philippines’ ECHO win the finals to lift the trophy.
Against all odds, ECHO set up a dominant performance in the Grand Finals of the MLBB M4 World Championship to become the winners. Up against the formidable and defending champions Blacklist International, who were the definite favorites coming into the match, ECHO managed a clean sweep to become the 2022 world champions.
The M4 World Championship was a record-setting one and achieved a peak viewership of 4.27 million, according to Esports Charts. This was achieved during the Upper bracket semifinal game between RRQ Hoshi and Blacklist International.
Besides this, the Grand Final was also an indication of the dominance of the Philippines in MLBB esports. While Indonesia may have the most fans (according to viewership numbers), Filipino teams have won all three previous M World Championship titles.
ECHO upset Blacklist in back-to-back games
ECHO vs. Blacklist International is a rivalry that has been brewing up throughout the second half of 2022. However, in almost all encounters it was Blacklist who came out on top.
Even in the M4 World Championship, it wasn’t the first time the two Filipino teams were meeting. They had also locked horns in an intense best-of-five in the Upper Bracket Final. This match, however, saw Blacklist coming out on top with a scoreline of 3-2.
ECHO defeated RRQ Hoshi in the lower bracket finals to set up another bout with the defending world champions. This wasn’t the first finals the teams had competed in a final as well. Just last October, they faced off in the MPL PH Season 10 finals which was also won by Blacklist.
Thus, ECHO were the underdogs coming into the M4 World Championship finals and were hungry for revenge. Blacklist, on the other hand, were on the verge of scripting history as the first-ever back-to-back MLBB world champions.
However, ECHO were the better team throughout the grand finals. Despite overcoming a tough opponent in RRQ at the lower bracket finals less than 24 hours before, they were energized and didn’t give Blacklist room in any game of the best-of-seven series.
They managed to close the first three games in under 15 minutes. The last game saw a resurgent Blacklist which went until the 17-minute mark. However, their efforts were futile as ECHO were able to win the game and become the MLBB world champions.
M4 World Championship: Full standings and prize pool distribution
Place | Team | Prize Money |
1 | ECHO | $300,000 |
2 | Blastlist International | $120,000 |
3 | RRQ Hoshi | $80,000 |
4 | ONIC Esports | $55,000 |
5-6 | Falcon Esports | $40,000 |
5-6 | The Valley | $40,000 |
7-8 | Incendio Supremacy | $30,000 |
7-8 | RRQ Akira | $30,000 |
9-12 | S11 Gaming Argentina | $15,000 |
9-12 | Team HAQ | $15,000 |
9-12 | TODAK | $15,000 |
9-12 | Occupy Thrones | $15,000 |
13-16 | RSG Singapore | $10,000 |
13-16 | MDH Esports | $10,000 |
13-16 | Burn x Team Flash | $10,000 |
13-16 | Malvinas Gaming | $10,000 |
- First place: ECHO ($300,000)
- Second place: Blacklist International ($120,000)
- Third place: RRQ Hoshi ($80,000)
- Fifth and sixth place: Falcon Esports and The Valley ($40,000 each)
- Seventh and eighth place: Incendio Supremacy and RRQ Akira ($30,000 each)
- Ninth to 12th place: S11 Gaming Argentina, Team HAQ, TODAK, and Occupy Thrones ($15,000 each)
- 13th to 16th place: RSG SG, MDH Esports, Burn x Team Flash, and Malvinas Gaming ($10,000 each)
M5 World Championship is headed to the Philippines
During the MLBB M4 World Championship Grand Finals, MOONTON revealed the host country for the M5. The premium esports tournament is next headed to the Philippines.
The region is one of the strongest in MLBB history and if ECHO manages to qualify – they will get a chance to defend their trophy at home.
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