Falcons AP Bren falls to Selangor Red Giants as MSC berth remains elusive

MANILA, Philippines – A Mobile Legends Bang Bang Mid-Season Cup (MSC) appearance is still the missing piece for Falcons AP Bren as it was thwarted by Malaysia's Selangor Red Giants (SRG), 3-4, in the MSC Grand Finals at the Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Game 1 saw the reigning world champion with a strong start, taking an 8-0 lead until the seventh minute when SRG started fighting back. A very fight-heavy game featuring multiple wipeouts, it was veteran and captain Angelo "Pheww" Arcangel who took matters into his own hands, shattering the base as everyone else fought by the lord. 

But the Malaysian squad, with Filipino players John "Innocent" Banal and Mark "Kramm" Rusiana and Filipino coach Michael "Arcadia" Bocado, changed the pace in Game 2, focusing on securing turrets instead of kills, to equalize the series after securing the second lord.

Falcons AP Bren changed the pace in Game 3, getting SRG Jungler's Muhammad Haqqullah “Sekysss” Bin Ahmad Shahrul Zaman comfort pick of hero Ling for Michael "KyleTzy" Sayson, who exploded with MVP plays. He stacked up 11 kills and seven assists to help the squad take Game 3. But SRG answered back with a vengeance, erecting a 0-10 lead to again tie the series at 2-2.

With another fight-heavy game, SRG forced Falcon AP Bren to overheat in Game 5 to propel themselves to match point. But Falcons AP Bren took advantage of their blue side pick in Game 6 to secure comfort heroes like Faramis for Arcangel, Sayson's Nolan and Marco "Super Marco" Requitiano's Roger to turn the series into a knockout match-up.

In the decider, it was SRG who took advantage of the blue side, out-drafting the world champion to dominate the game and give Malaysia its first international title in MLBB.

With the runner-up finish, Falcons AP Bren took home the second largest share of the prize pool at $500,000 (approximately P29.2 million). Team Falcons also earned 600 points in the Club Championship race at the Esports World Cup.