Rookie team RSG Philippines showed that they are a league above the rest by sweeping the seasoned veterans RRQ Hoshi 4-0 in a decisive victory during the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Southeast Asia Cup 2022 (MSC 2022) Grand Finals, which took place in Kuala Lumpur over the past week.
The week-long tournament began with a Group Stage, in which the 12 teams were divided into groups of 3 and pitted against each other in a round robin format. Despite only debuting a year prior, RSG PH easily trumped their competitors, being the only team to advance to the playoffs with a spotless record of 4-0. The end of the Group Stage saw MPL Indonesia runner-ups ONIC Esports, Cambodia representatives Impunity KH and See You Soon, as well as Thai team IDONOTSLEEP headed home.
The Playoffs proved tough for all teams involved. Both Singaporean representatives RSG SG and EVOS SG were sent packing early on after a fruitless struggle against their opponents. This was followed by the home teams TODAK and Orange Esports, both of whom were knocked out during the Lower Bracket Quarter Finals. Meanwhile in the Upper Bracket Finals, RSG PH and RRQ Hoshi faced off for their first time in this championship, with the MPL Indonesia champs RRQ Hoshi gaining the upper hand in a best-of-5 which saw them winning 3-1 against their Filipino counterparts, eventually kicking them into the Lower Bracket.
Determined to claw their way back into the game, RSG PH entered a nail-biting Lower Bracket Final match with their fellow MPL PH runner-ups Omega Esports, which had just swept Myanmar’s Falcon Esports 3-0 during the Semi-Finals. Their series lasted a whole five matches and saw RSG PH narrowly winning 3-2 after a decisive fifth match in their favour, allowing them to meet their rivals RRQ Hoshi again in the finals.
The Grand Finals, which took the form of a best-of-7, wasn’t easy for either team. Over the course of three long-drawn games, each lasting more than 25 minutes, the Filipino newcomers proved their strength and perseverance by emerging victorious despite RRQ Hoshi’s aggression and early game leads. Ultimately, the losses proved too much for Indonesia’s RRQ Hoshi, who were bulldozed in the final match point game, allowing RSG PH to earn the title of MSC 2022 champions.
For their victory, the Filipino team will get to take home 300,000USD worth of prize money. RSG PH’s Gold Laner, Eman “EMANN” Sangco, also won the well-deserved Finals MVP award.
This incredible showing is made even more remarkable considering RSG PH’s very recent debut in 2021, which saw the young team placing 5-6th in MPL PH S8. Since then, they have not only risen the ranks to become the best team in the Philippines, but in Southeast Asia as well.
Who knows what the Singapore-based esports organisation RSG has been feeding their Filipino Mobile Legends team? Perhaps they should start feeding their Singaporean equivalents some of that as well.
