The ONE Esports MPL Invitational is just a few days away and will see 20 top teams from four MPL leagues battle it out for a US$100,000 prize pool.
Who’s the best MLBB team in the world? We’re about to find out. But heading into the tournament here’s how we rank the top ten teams.
1. RRQ Hoshi
No one can doubt the strength of this juggernaut team from MPL ID. After facing a crushing defeat at the 2019 M1 World Championship, the King of Kings managed to grab three prestigious titles in a row, winning the MPL Invitational 4 Nation Cup and becoming back to back champions in MPL ID Season 5 and 6.
A series of brilliant achievements is clear evidence of the team’s ability and winning mentality. Strengthened by stars such as Lemon, Vynnn, and R7, RRQ Hoshi is now the most feared squad in the world and looks destined to win the ONE Esports MPL Invitational.
2. Bren Esports
Bren Esports is the best MPL PH team to enter MPLI. Only conceding one loss in the regular season, Angelo Kyle “Pheww” Arcangel led his team to dominant playoffs run that crowned them the MPL PH S6 champions.
Aside from team-based efforts, Bren’s line-up is studded with knowledgeable veterans and gifted talents. Pheww is able to lead the team with tank player Lusty while the team’s offense is backed by Ribo’s aggression and KarlTzy and FlapTzy’s killer instincts.
With all eyes set on each region’s champions, you will definitely see Bren Esports shake up the tournament bracket sooner or later.
3. Alter Ego
Alter Ego has always been a dark horse at every MPL event they’re in and the team’s constant improvement is just one of their success factors.
Just recently, the AE squad almost succeeded in MPL ID Season 6 in overthrowing defending champion RRQ Hoshi but just fell short at the final hurdle, losing a nailbiting 2-3 grand final.
The team has kept the same all-star roster heading into MPLI with Celiboy, Ahmad, and Udil leading the way, so don’t be surprised if this time, they end up winning it all.
4. Omega Esports
Omega Esports has been proclaimed as the dark horse team of MPL PH. Amongst superteams like Bren, Aura PH, and ONIC PH, the team snuck through the rankings in Season 6 and even gave Bren Esports their only loss of the season.
Finishing the regular season in second place overall, the team continued their domination in the playoffs, striking down hopeful teams like Blacklist International and Execration. The team would finally meet a worthy match against Bren, losing the hard-fought grand final with a 4-2 scoreline.
As the uncrowned kings of the MPL PH, the team brings a lot to the competition with their superstar hypercarry of HadjiZy. If OMG is able to bring the same discipline and patience into the competition, we’re bound to see some crazy plays from the MPL PH team.
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5. EVOS Legends
After disappointing results in the last two MPL seasons, EVOS made a major roster overhaul for the MPL Invitational.
Old EVOS guard Luminaire has come back into action along with two new stars in Antimage from Onic and LJ from RRQ Hoshi. The three new players easily complement franchise players such as REKT and Wannn, now referring to themselves as the Los Galacticos squad.
This star-studded squad has yet to be tested in a competitive setting, but these six players are known to have a top-tier playstyle with the kind of experience that many fans hope will lead EVOS to the championship.
6. Bigetron Alpha
Bigetron Alpha will enter the MPL Invitational as the third-ranked team of MPL Indonesia Season 6. Being able to face up teams like RRQ and Alter Ego on a regular basis, the team should be far from underestimated.
The robot squad has a habit of performing brilliantly at the start of the regular season but running out of gas at the last stretch. In Season 6, BTR was close to leading the league in the middle of the season, but due to difficulties in understanding the new meta, Branz and the boys entered the playoffs as the fourth seed.
Even with such a reputation, it’s motivating Branz, Maxxx, Renbo, Dreams, Rippo, and TAKA to give their best in their journey to secure a championship win at the MPLI.
7. Todak
As champions of MPL MY/SG Season 6, Malaysia’s Todak enters the ONE Esports MPL Invitational not only as forerunners of their region, but also as the only team in MPL to finish perfect the last season.
The Malaysian team will be putting two new players to the test — Vins and Momo — who will replace Stoo and Xray for the competition as Stoo continues to perform his duties as the unofficial coach and analyst for the team.
Will these two new players make or break Todak?
8. Execration
As the bad boys of MPL PH, Execration comes to the MPLI with some of the best aggression and pressure the region has to offer. From an exclusive interview, we know that captain Patrick “E2MAX” Caidic is adamant to show that the Philippines is not to be messed with.
EXE was a force of nature in MPL PH S6, finishing first in their regular season group and even grabbing third place in the MPL playoffs. While the team might be rough around the edges, E2MAX is fully supportive of what each team member brings to the table.
With the recent departure of Hate and Bennyqt, EXE has also taken a new core-duo in Mark and Kelra. While not much is known about the two, E2MAX had nothing but praise for them, saying that their mechanics are better than most players. Despite being called an aggro team, E2MAX believes that the team truly shines through the supporting efforts of Ch4knu and him.
9. ONIC Esports ID
ONIC Esports were one of the best teams in the first half of MPL Indonesia Season 6, but the Yellow Hedgehog’s performance declined in the second half of the season.
It will be interesting to see how well ONIC performs at the MPL Invitational, as they have just lost one of their best players in Antimage, who was transferred to EVOS Legends.
Even with such a loss, ONIC did not make any real changes to the team, only moving Sasa up to replace Antimage. With the same basic line-up, the team hopes to maintain its S6 chemistry and performance and can possibly pull off some great upsets as an underdog squad.
10. Burmese Ghouls
Burmese Ghouls is Myanmar’s most decorated squad, winning four MPL MM championships in five seasons. The only championship they failed to win was in Season 2, where they still came out as runners-up to Team Resolution.
In Season 6, Burmese Ghouls went into overdrive in the playoffs. Despite coming in as the second playoff seed, BG easily defeated league leaders, Ronin Esports, 2-0 in the Upper Bracket Final, and then swept them again 3-0 in the Grand Final to capture their fourth championship.
With such control over the MM region, Burmese Ghouls comes in ready to prove that Myanmar can compete with the other three MPL leagues. Don’t be surprised if they surprise some of the tournament’s bigger names.
The MPL Invitational begins on Friday, November 27, and will span two action-packed weekends culminating with the final on December 6.
READ MORE: This is the complete bracket for the ONE Esports MPL Invitational
