The culmination of Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) Professional League - Philippines (MPL-PH)  Season 13 saw the end of Falcon AP.Bren’s (FCAP) reign against an unstoppable Team Liquid ECHO PH (TLPH) during the Grand Finals last May 26.

As the official telco partner of MPL-PH Season 13, mobile services Smart Communications, Inc. brought the nail-biting action to fans via its livestream on its official Facebook page.

It was a dominating run by the Orcas sweeping the Hive 4-0, proving that they have returned to winning form after previous championship runs in Season 11, as well as an M4 World Championship.

It was also through Sanford’s showstopping performance and masterful use of Paquitio that he was named the Grand Finals MVP title.

MPL Philippines Season 13 broke its previous season’s peak concurrent views (PCV) at 824,056, according to esports analytics partner Esports Charts. 

Journey to the Grand Finals

It was a no-brainer that TLPH would enter into the Playoffs with their 9-5 run, only second to FCAP’s 11-3 standing. However, they struggled during their scrims before playoffs and needed to make key improvements to their drafting and in-game decision-making.

As the Playoffs began, however, the matches showed a different side of Liquid ECHO that gave them win after win. First against RSG PH with a 3-0 sweep. Then, against FCAP in the Upper Bracket Finals with a 3-2 win.

“For every single loss we had back in the regular season, we made sure to learn from our mistakes before heading to the playoffs and grand finals,” said Mitch Liwanag, Country Manager for TLPH.

The Upper Bracket Finals was just the match they needed to perfectly execute counters and offenses from the drafting phase until the end game.

“Key moments were evident when you hear how good their communication went inside the game. They traded ideas and helped each other from the Drafting Phase until the end of the game,” added Liwanag. “Our game plan is to win. Every draft and planning we made we just have to execute it perfectly against them.”

Before the culminating match began, Liwanag narrates how the team had huddled together and one of Liquid ECHO’s CEOs said, “Don’t be afraid, don’t be overconfident, stay focused, be serious, be heroes. Show everyone, show the world why you’re Team Liquid. Show them you’re all meant to win. Never give up. Fight. You are a Hero. Nothing else matters.”

Smart's support for MPL-PH Season 13 is just one of the many ways the telco enables Filipinos to enjoy the best mobile gaming experiences powered by its superior network, which has been recognized by Opensignal for delivering the Philippines’ Best 5G Coverage Experience.

Learn how Smart empowers subscribers to elevate their gameplay and embark on their esports journey by exploring Smart GIGA Arena. Smart and TNT subscribers can effortlessly participate in any Smart GIGA Arena tournament with Giga Arena 20, which comes with two GIGA Arena tickets and 100MB for all apps, valid for one day at just Php20. To know more, visit http://gigaarena.smart.