Bren Esports handed Blacklist International its first loss in the fourth week of MPL PH Season 7 after a grueling showdown, proving that the M2 World Champion is still a team to beat this season.

Many teams have tried and failed decoding Blacklist International — until Bren Esports successfully completed the reverse sweep thanks to a series of clutch plays in game two, and an effective draft in game three.

After losing game one, Bren Esports were looking to bounce back in game two with a heavy crowd control team composition.

At first, Blacklist International snowballed with the Nice One, Baby strategy comprising Johnmar “OhMyV33NUS” Villaluna’s Estes and Danerie “Wise” Del Rosario’s Granger.

In fact, Blacklist International were this close to winning the game, for they were tearing down the base of Bren Esports 21 minutes into the game .

However, a clutch Kupa, Help! from Allan “Lusty” Castromayor knocked up four members of Blacklist International. His initiation led Bren Esports to a wipeout. They then completely turned around the game with a three-tower push down the mid lane for the win.

In game three, Bren Esports went for a tanky duo, Baxia and Uranus, to go up against the Angela and Roger lineup of Blacklist International.

The reigning champions dominated all throughout the match, not giving any members of Blacklist International a chance of a comeback. Bren Esports eventually ended the series with a 14-5 kill score in 17 minutes.

In a post-match press conference, Bren Esports’ coach Francis “Duckey” Glindro said Blacklist International was outdrafted in the deciding game three.

“I don’t know why they didn’t stick with the Granger pick because they were successful with that hero,” he said.

Duckey also stated that he noticed a trend on how Blacklist International drafts, for they tend to prioritize OHEB’s heroes in the first phase.

“When OHEB finds the right rhythm, his team usually dominates. So we just thought that he would be our choice of ban in the game,” said Duckey.

Despite the light jab, Duckey commended Blacklist International for the great game, “I think they have a really good chance at winning the tournament, though we won’t let that happen.”

With the win, Bren Esports is now tied with Aura Philippines in Group A with 14 points each. Blacklist International are still on top of Group B with a 7-1 record and 19 points.

Bren Esports’ coach Duckey: ‘Blacklist International was outdrafted in game three’