Filipino powerhouse ECHO emerged victorious as the new Mobile Legends (MLBB) world champions after sweeping fellow Filipinos Blacklist International, 4-0, in the best-of-seven grand finals of the M4 World Championship on Sunday, January 15.
With their win, ECHO became the third Filipino team to claim the MLBB world championship title in consecutive years and took home the grand prize of $300,000 (Php16.3M*). Blacklist International, who failed to secure back-to-back titles, placed second and received $120,000 (Php 6.5M*) in consolation.
The two Filipino teams dominated the Group Stage and Knockout Stage of M4, before facing off in the upper bracket finals. Blacklist International emerged victorious in a 3-2 match, becoming the first team to reach the grand finals. ECHO then defeated RRQ Hoshi, 3-1, to set up a rematch with Blacklist International for the world championship title.
In the finals, ECHO came out strong and quickly took a 2-0 series lead. The third match was even more one-sided, as ECHO picked Gusion for mid laner Alston “Sanji” Pabico and secured a 23-10 victory in just under 14 minutes. The fourth match was a closer affair, but ECHO ultimately secured the 4-0 sweep and the world championship title.
With ECHO’s victory, jungler Karl “KarlTzy” Nepomuceno became the first-ever two-time MLBB world champion, having previously won with Bren Esports in the M2 World Championship in 2021. ECHO’s win punctuates the Philippines’ continued dominance in the MLBB esports scene, with Filipino teams now having claimed the world title for three consecutive years.
The M4 World Championship was held in Jakarta, Indonesia from January 1 to 15, and featured 16 of the top MLBB teams from around the world, competing for the world championship title and a share of the $800,000 prize pool.
$1 = Php54.52
