FAST FACTS: Liquid ECHO, Falcons AP.Bren set to conquer grander 2024 Esports World Cup
MANILA, Philippines – Liquid ECHO and Falcons AP.Bren look to avenge the Philippines in the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Mid Season Cup (MSC) 2024, a part of the Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Reigning Mobile Legends Professional League (MPL) Philippines champion Liquid Echo pits a familiar lineup featuring Sanford, KarlTzy, Sanji, Bennyqt, Jaypee, and head coach Tictac.
Meanwhile, Falcons AP.Bren hope to continue its success in the international stage with their M5 World Championship-winning roster that includes FlapTzy, KyleTzy, Pheww, Super Marco, Owgwen and head coach Duckey.
Last year’s MSC saw the Philippines’ Blacklist International absorb a 4-2 loss to Indonesia’s Onic Esports in the finale while ECHO, before rebranding to Liquid ECHO, finished third.
Esports World Cup and MSC
For the first time, the Mid Season Cup, formerly known as the Mobile Legends Southeast Asia Cup, will be held outside the region.
On top of the title and bragging rights, teams vie for the lion’s share of the $3-million prize pool, the biggest in MSC history, with the champion pocketing $1 million (over P58 million).
The MSC is the second event lined up for the Esports World Cup, which will host tournaments in other games like League of Legends, Dota, Call of Duty, Fortnite, PUBG, Counter-Strike, and many more from June 28 to August 25.
Tournament format
In the group stages, 16 teams were randomly drawn in four groups, with Liquid ECHO and Falcons AP. Bren bunched in Group C and Group D, respectively.
After battling each other in a single round-robin format, the top two teams from each group will advance to the knockout stage.
The knockout phase will be a best-of-five single elimination bracket, while the grand finals features a best-of-seven clash.
Key dates
The wild card stage ended last June 30, with HomeBois advancing to the group phase, which will run from July 3 to 7.
Falcons AP.Bren opened their campaign with a 2-0 win against Xianyou Gaming from China, while Liquid ECHO also downed home team Twisted Mind, 2-0, on July 3.
July 5 will see Liquid Echo size up against MCC Champions’ Team Spirit and HomeBois.
Falcons AP.Bren look to trample North America’s Cloud9 and Myanmar’s Team Falcons on the last day of the group stage on July 7.
The knockout stage will roll off from July 10 to 13, while the grand finals is set on July 14. – Niño Dominic Ronquillo/Rappler.com
Niño Dominic Ronquillo is a Rappler intern.