An article about how the group stages of a tournament would play out.
Originally Published: 15th January 2021 on eGG Network
All the teams competing at M2 – the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang World Championship we’ve been waiting for – are set and ready to go at each other’s throats to secure a spot in the Playoffs. For those who are new to the MLBB competitive scene and M2 will be your first tournament, here’s a quick preview of what to look forward to next week!
Group A
RSG – winners of MPL-MY/SG S5, and 4th at S6, 2nd at the MLBB 4 Nations Cup, the Singaporean powerhouse squad are known for their disciplined and coordinated teamplay. The team have managed to remain consistent for the past year and are looking in good shape moving forward despite struggling at the One Esports MLBB Invitational (getting knocked out after their first match). With the first tournament of the year being in their own country, it bodes well for them to start off 2021 with a bang!
Unique Devu – Most of Unique Devu’s players were from Deus Vult – Russia’s representatives at M1, so they’ll be back to redeem themselves after their poor performance (they failed to qualify for the playoffs). It’s not often we get Russian teams in this part of the world, so it’ll be interesting to watch how the different playstyles match up – being in a group with two top-tier SEA teams isn’t going to make things easy for them!
Burmese Ghouls and RSG faced off not too long ago in the lower bracket finals of the MPLI 4 Nations Cup (they lost 2-1), so this will be their chance at revenge. At M1, they completely dominated their group without losing a single match but were eliminated at 4th place by Todak during the playoffs. The team has remained consistent in their performance throughout the past year, so we’ll see if they can recreate the magic.
Predictions:
While the matches between RSG and Burmese Ghouls could go either way, we believe that the homecourt advantage, experience and discipline of RSG will tilt the group stage in their favour. Burmese Ghouls in second and Unique Devu third.
Group B
Todak – In Group B, fans will be pleased to see the undefeated squad from MPL-MY/SG S6 back together on the big stage (after trying out 2 new players for the One Esports MPL Invitational). If the Malaysian team can return to their S6 form, this group should be a cakewalk for them. They also got 3rd at M1, after being eliminated by RRQ.
Omega Esports, 2nd place winners at MPL-PH S6, will try to throw a wrench in Todak’s plans, but they haven’t shown their best form since then. However, Impunity shouldn’t pose too much of a threat to them.
Impunity – Cambodia’s strongest team, they qualified to M1 in 2019 but failed to make it out of the group stage (winning a grand total of 0 games). A lot of time has passed and since then, they have replaced most of their players. They’re still a force to be reckoned with locally, but on the international stage, they have a lot to prove.
Predictions:
Todak shouldn’t have too much trouble with this group, and Omega should finish second with Impunity at third.
Group C
10S Gaming Frost are an exciting team to look out for – we don’t see them often here and at M1 (they were known as 10S Gaming+) they managed a 5/6th place finish despite being in a tough group. However, the lineup has changed since then, with only 2 members of the original squad remaining (Obuyan and Pappa). Unfortunately for them, it seems that luck wasn’t on their side during the group stage draw as they ended up with Bren Esports and Alter Ego.
Alter Ego – winners of the One Esports MLBB Invitational, they have been seeded in the group of death against one of the strongest teams in the world right now – Bren Esports, winners of MPL-PH S6. However, one of their players can’t make it to the tournament due to Covid-related issues, so they’ll have some adjusting to do.
Bren Esports – a team full of MPL champions (some of them two-time MPL winners), they’re looking like the favourites for their group. However, since they lost the One Esports MLBB Invitational to Alter Ego in the grand finals, this group stage will give them a shot at revenge. If things go according to plan, they are favoured to finish first in their group, but unfamiliarity against the Japanese 10S Gaming Frost could catch them off guard.
Predictions:
Bren Esports should take this one easily, followed by Alter Ego, but we are hoping to be proven wrong by 10S Gaming Frost – after all, who doesn’t love an underdog story?
Group D
EVOS SG – the team performed poorly at M1, failing to even make it out of the group stage. Since then, the team has improved significantly and even made it to 2nd place at MPL-MY/SG S6. For this tournament, they brought back Zeys, who was said to be integral to their performance at MPL-MY/SG S4. With rumours of the team disbanding afloat only time will tell if this team will go out with a successful final hurrah.
RRQ – winners of MPL-ID S6, the squad is considered one of the best teams of the region, and at M2 they managed a second-place finish. With additional titles under their belt and a wealth of experience, will they be able to secure the title this time around? They’re definitely one of the favourites to win the tournament.
Dreammax – With players from Geo esports (M1 representatives), they will try to redeem themselves this year after failing to make it out of the group stage. Them being put in a group with EVOS SG and RRQ isn’t going to help their chances, but they’ve had a wealth of experience over the past year which should help them against the more well-known teams. Like with 10S Gaming Frost, they have the potential to make an underdog run this tournament.
Update (7pm): Hopefully their Covid issues won’t affect their gameplay too much.
Predictions:
It’s going to be a tough fight between RRQ and EVOS for first place, but we think the Indonesians can pull it off, despite the home ground advantage. Dreammax to finish third in the groups – but as usual, we woud love to be proven wrong!
M2 kicks off this Monday, 18th January. Don’t miss the action which will be streamed live on Astro eGG Network TV (CH800), Astro Arena (CH801/CH802 HD) and Facebook! Stay tuned to eGG Network for all the latest updates. What are your group stage predictions?