PHP Team ECHO Grabs Mobile Legends M4 World Championship (4-0)

The Philippine team ECHO made a resounding impact versus Blacklist International by getting a solid 4-0 in the Mobile Legends M4 world championship. Indeed, ECHO established itself as a Filipino powerhouse crowned as the new Mobile Legends (MLBB) champions in the best-of-seven grand finals at the M4 World Championship on Sunday, the 15th of January 2023. 

Their victory also ups the ante of being the third Filipino team to snatch the MLBB world championship title in consecutive years. They also brought home M4’s grand prize of USD 300,000.

ECHO simply was too solid in their gameplay and thus Blacklist International didn’t make a dent in an insurmountable turn of events. But Blacklist International was able to take home the second place prize pot of USD 120,000 consolation reward. 

How the championship journey rolled

ECHO’s path to the championships begins with two Filipino squads who were able to dominate the M4’s Group Stage and Knockout Stage before the first encounter in the upper bracket finals.  

Team Blacklist International did outlast ECHO in the initial 3-2 qualifier to become the first team into the grand finals. ECHO came back when they routed RRQ Hoshi, 3-1 — forcing Blacklist International to face off with ECHO for the world championship title.

ECHO looks like they were able to predict the moves of Blacklist International coming from the earlier encounter for they went through cruising to a 2-0 series lead after back-to-back 14-minute sessions that saw Blacklist International unable to control their losing matches.

The ECHO team came in roaring in game three. They pulled out a ballsy Gusion pick for mid-lane Alston “” Pabico on the way to a 23-10 victory in under 14 minutes of game time. Sanji carried the team through to match point with nine kills and eight assists against two deaths. 

By Game Four, opponent Blacklist Internationalcaptur tried to put up a better fight — seeing a 17-minute match in the battle — but, well, ECHO will not be denied of a glorious victory getting a clean 4-0 finals sweep and capturing the world championship title.  

Meet the fantastic ECHO Team

Without a doubt, ECHO’s victory places the Philippines in a revered state of dominance over the MLBB esports arena. ECHO is now the third Filipino team, take note, in consecutive years to capture the world title. Blacklist International (yes, they hail from the Philippines) captured the championship in 2022 and Bren Esports (solidly Filipino) in 2021. 

The M4 grand finals happen to be the second-straight world championship finals to see an all-Filipino affair. Last year featured Blacklist International competing against ONIC Philippines with the former claiming a 4-0 victory as well. 

Held from the 1st to the 15th of January, The M4 World Championship features 16 of the best MLBB teams in the world with the largest pool of prizes that reaches up to USD 800,000 in total. The M4 Knockout Stage was held from the 7th to the 15th of January at the Tennis Indoor Stadium Senayan. 

Here’s the roster of the ECHO M4 team: 

• Sanford “Sanford” Vinuya
• Karl “KarlTzy” Nepomuceno
• Alston “Sanji” Pabico
• Benedict “Bennyqt” Gonzales
• Tristan “YAWI” Cabrera
• Blacklist International M4 roster:
• Edward “EDWARD” Dapadap
• Danerie “Wise” Rosario
• Salic “Hadji” Imam
• Kiel “OHEB” Soriano
• Jonmar “OhMyV33NUS” Villaluna

It’s a great feeling when fellow Filipinos dominate the world. This spells a great era for Esports for our athletes. Hopefully, they will find a solid support group who will help them get even sharper in their skills and gameplay. After all, they have shown their dedication to the sport and the art of cunningly creative plays. Kudos to the ECHO team and their colleagues. Just comment below if you’d like to see more news like this folks! We’ll definitely feature them on our pages. Cheers!