MLBB M5 World Championship
2023
Tournament information
SportMobile Legends: Bang Bang
DatesDecember 2–17, 2023
AdministratorMoonton
Tournament
format(s)
Group stage
Single Round Robin Format
Playoffs
Double Elimination Format
Host(s) Philippines
Venue(s)EVM Convention Center
(Group Stage and Knockouts Stage 1)
Rizal Memorial Coliseum
(Knockouts Stage 2 and Grand Finals)
Teams16
Purse$900,000
Websitehttps://m5.mobilelegends.com/
Final positions
Champion AP Bren
1st runners-up ONIC Esports
2nd runners-up Blacklist International
Tournament statistics
MVP David "FlapTzy" Canon (AP Bren)
M5 Fan Choice Award ONIC Esports

The 2023 Mobile Legends: Bang Bang World Championship, commonly referred to as the M5 World Championship and M5, was the fifth edition of the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang World Championship, an Esports tournament for the Mobile Game Mobile Legends: Bang Bang.

AP Bren won the MLBB M5 World Championships and is the only organization to win two world titles and the only team in MLBB thus far to win on home soil. They defeat ONIC Esports in seven games and denied the chance for the Golden Road. ONIC previously won a three-peat in MPL Indonesia and won MSC in 2023 against Blacklist International.[1]

The Grand Finals of the tournament broke the previous match viewership record from the MLBB M4 World Championship during the Upper Bracket Semifinals. Indonesia's RRQ Hoshi and the Philippines' Blacklist International garnered 4.2 million peak viewers during their five-game match. However, the Grand Finals for M5 reached 5,067,107 viewers according to Esports Charts, making it the most-viewed match in MLBB.[2]

Background

Following M4, the MLBB M5 World Championships is the fifth Mobile Legends: Bang Bang World Championship and the first edition of the games to be held in the Philippines.[3] Malaysia was later announced to be the host of the wildcard round.[4]

Previously, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia held the first four editions of the games, M1 in Kuala Lumpur;[5] M2[6] and M3[7] in Singapore; and M4 in Jakarta.[8]

M5 featured teams from Asia, North America, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Europe and Latin America. Teams qualified through their region's qualification method, whether it be an MPL Region or a Moonton-approved qualification tournament.

Venue

The M5 World Championship was announced to be held in Metro Manila.

Rizal Memorial Coliseum, venue for the second round of the Knockout Stage and Grand Finals from December 15th to December 17th

Alongside Moonton, the country's Department of Tourism organized the event. EVM Convention Center (located in Quezon City) hosted the group stage and first knockouts stage of M5. On the other hand, the latter knockout stages and grand finals was held at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Manila. The selling of tickets for the event started on October 25.[9][10]

Qualified teams

Qualifying for the M5 World Championship comes from the competing nation's Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League or commonly known as "MPL." However, regional qualifiers in the North America, Turkey, Myanmar, and Latin American regions were also held to broaden the reach of the Championship's teams. Two teams shall also qualify from the M5 Wildcards.

M5 will feature the European region for the fourth time since its absence in the last M4 World Championship. The number of natural qualifiers for MPL Malaysia have also been reduced to one. Instead of having its own slot, Brazil is now included in the Latin America region for a chance in the two regional teams participating for the world championship.

The defending World Champions in ECHO Philippines would not be completing their back-to-back championship titles due to them being eliminated by Blacklist International in the Lower Grand Finals of MPL Philippines Season 12.

  • Group Stage: December 2nd - 7th, 2023
    • 16 teams will be divided into 2 groups.
    • Single Round Robin, all matches are played in a Bo3.
    • Top 2 teams from each groups will advance to Knockout Stage.
    • Bottom 2 teams from each groups will be eliminated from the tournament.
  • Knockout Stage: December 9th - 17th, 2023
    • 8 teams from Group Stage will play in a double-elimination bracket.
      • All Matches will be played in a Bo5 except Grand Final.
      • Grand Finals will be played in a Bo7.
Region League Qualification method[11] Team name ID Group
Philippines MPL Philippines MPL Philippines Season 12 Champions Philippines AP Bren APBR C
MPL Philippines Season 12 Runners-Up Philippines Blacklist International BLCK B
Indonesia MPL Indonesia MPL Indonesia Season 12 Champions Indonesia ONIC Esports ONIC A
MPL Indonesia Season 12 Runners-Up Indonesia Geek Fam ID[12] GEEK D
Latin America Liga LATAM Liga LATAM 2023 Champions Brazil RRQ Akira RRQ B
Liga LATAM 2023 Runners-Up Brazil Bigetron Sons BTR A
Malaysia MPL Malaysia MPL Malaysia Season 12 Champions Malaysia HomeBois HB D
Singapore MPL Singapore MPL Singapore Season 6 Champions Singapore Team Flash FL C
Cambodia MPL Cambodia MPL Cambodia Autumn Split 2023 Champions Cambodia SeeYouSoon SYS A
Middle East and North Africa MPL MENA MPL MENA Fall Split 2023 Champions Saudi Arabia Triple Esports TE A
Myanmar M5 Myanmar Qualifiers M5 Myanmar Qualifier Champions Myanmar Burmese Ghouls BG C
Turkiye MTC Turkiye Championship MLBB Türkiye Şampiyonası Season 2 Champions Turkey Fire Flux Esports FF B
North America MLBB NACT MLBB NACT Fall Season 2023 Champions United States TheOhioBrothers TOB D
Eastern Europe and Central Asia MLBB Continental Championships MLBB Continental Championships Season 2 Champions Commonwealth of Independent States Deus Vult DeVu D
Malaysia M5 Wildcard Qualifiers M5 Wildcard Qualifying Team Malaysia Team SMG SMG B
Mongolia M5 Wildcard Qualifiers M5 Wildcard Qualifying Team Mongolia Team Lilgun lg C

Notable teams including ONIC Esports, SeeYouSoon, RRQ Akira and Team SMG returns to the world stage from their previous World Championship campaigns. Notably, ONIC Esports and RRQ Akira returns after M4 and Team SMG and SeeYouSoon returns after M3.[13][14]

Amid the new format of the MLBB World Championship, two notable teams in AP Bren and Burmese Ghouls makes a remarkable return after their M2 campaign. AP Bren, were the MLBB M2 World Champions, defeating Burmese Ghouls in the process. Formerly known as Bren Esports, the M2 World Champions boasted popular players such as Carlito "Ribo" Ribo Jr., Allan "Lusty" Jr., Ralph "Coco" Sampang, and ECHO superstar and two-time world champion Karl "KarlTzy" Nepomuceno.[15] After their victory over Blacklist International, the likes of M2 World Champions Angelo Kyle "Pheww" Arcangel and Charles "FlapTzy" Canon make a return to the international stage alongside M2 World Champion Coach Francis "Ducky" Glindro.[16]

Meanwhile, Burmese Ghouls returns with a new roster with new faces than the M2 squad.

Official rosters

Returning teams from the previous MLBB World Championships include Blacklist International, ONIC Esports and RRQ Akira while newer teams such as Geek Fam Indonesia, Bigetron Sons, HomeBois, Team Flash, Triple Esports, Fire Flux Esports, TheOhioBrothers and most of the wildcard teams will be part of their first world championships.

AP Bren marks a return as the M2 World Champions alongside Burmese Ghouls who were their finals opponents on the aforementioned series, Blacklist International are returning for their third-consecutive Worlds after winning M3 and runners-up for M4. SeeYouSoon and Team SMG returns since M3 and Deus Vult returns since M1.

Team League Jungle EXP Mid Gold Roam Substitute(s) Coach(es) Analyst(s)
AP Bren MPL PH KyleTzy (Michael Sayson) FlapTzy (David Canon) Pheww(Angelo Arcangel) Super Marco (Marco Requitiano) Owgwen (Rowgien Unigo) Pandora (Vincent Unigo) Ducky (Francis Glindro) Vrendon Lim (Vrendon Pesebre)
Blacklist International MPL PH Sensui (Stephen Castillo) Edward (Edward Dapadap) Hadji (Salic Imam) Oheb (Kiel Soriano) Renejay (Renejay Barcase) Owl (Lee Gonzales) Yue (Kenneth Tadeo) Master the Basics (Aniel Jiandani) Dex Star (Dexter Alaba)
ONIC Esports MPL ID Kairi (Kairi Rayosdelsol) Butss (Muhammad Sanubari) S A N Z (Gilang) CW (Calvin Winata) Kiboy (Nicky Pontonuwu) Albert (Albert Iskandar) Coach Yeb (Denver Miranda) Adi (Adi Asyauri)
Geek Fam Indonesia MPL ID Nnael (Manuel Simbolon) Luke (Luke Valentinus) Aboy (Valen Putra) Markyyyy (Mark Capacio) Baloyskie (Allen Baloy) Caderaa (Mohammad Pambudi) Ervan (Ervan Pratama) N/A
RRQ Akira Liga LATAM Kiing (Lucas Godoy) Tekashi (Arthur Nascimento) Seigen (Matheus Lima) Gustalagusta (Gustavo Lima) Luiizz (Luiz Alves) Blink (Gabriel Favoreto) Cabral (Godman Cabral) N/A
Bigetron Sons Liga LATAM Buzizio (Everton Mattos) Bllack (Felipe Prado) Sindra (Luis Tavares) Upa (Lucas Araujo) Lunna (Victor Monteiro) Akashi (Nicolas Vieira) Daarkness (Diego Casado) Hoooky (Breno Almeida)
HomeBois MPL MY Chibi (Muhammad Nazhan bin Mohd Nor) Sepat (Muhammad Irfan bin Aujang) Warlord (Rizky Agustian) RaizeL (Wahyu Saputra) Xorn (Mohammad Zul Hisham bin Mohd Noor) Anip (Muhammad Haniff bin Abdul Rashid) Vins (Muhammad Nazreen bin Nasir) (H.C.) Pabz (Khairul Azman bin Mohd Sharif) (A.C.) Saiful (Muhammad Saiful Bin Aujang) Antagonist (M Bachiri)
Team Flash MPL SG Hadess (Jaymark Lazaro) Adammir (Adam Chong) Jayy (Jay Chng) Vanix (Keith Lim) Lolsie (Bellamy Yeov) Bloopymiku (Leong Kai Xiang) Kayzeepi (Eugene Kong) Remaniscent (Remas Hong)
SeeYouSoon MPL KH MP the King (Michael Endino) FELIX (Leng Kimhak) Raa (Sovann Chanmakara) Kousei (Clarense Camilo) BOXI (Sok Viera) Tuzu (Lim Bunheng) RUNN (Mon Phearun) (H.C.) Cattt (Chhim Vitou) (A.C.) Jin N/A
Triple Esports MENA Tarzan (Mohammed Kharabah) Sanji (Ayman Alqarni) Cuffin (Muath Alkoraini) Fury (Ahmad Zeyad) Troll (Moayed Kharaba) Saano Krauser Lyrick Zuzu (Khaled Zouzou)
Deus Vult CIS Magistor (Eduard Rukosuev) Kid Bomba (Mathaios Chazilakos) Sunset Lover (Kemiran Kochkarov) Carvi (Carl Tinio) SAWO (Stansilav Reshnyak) Shisu1Skie (Alikhan Madibekov) Lil (Ruslan Degtev) Flysolo (Kenneth Coloma) N/A
Fire Flux Esports MTC Tienzy (Sidar Menteşe) Alien (Bariş Ali Çakir) Rosa (Ahmet Taha Batir) Sunshine (Emre Sari) APEX47 (Furkan Akbulut) Paranoid (Osman Karademir) Badgalseph (Sacit Arslan) SIGIBUM
TheOhioBrothers NACT Bestplayer1(Carlos Ortega Vega) Mielow (Chris Enobio) Hoon (Jang Seong-hoon) ZIA (Ziameth-Jei Caluya) SHARK (Vo Trung) Wrath (Jared Gillespie) PikaPikaML N/A
Burmese Ghouls M5Q - MYA Niko (Hein Arkar Htet) Carbon (Thiha Kyaw) Lina (Kaung Min Khant) Stitch (Htet Linn Hlyan Aung) Blink (Kyaw Thuya) Shadow (Kaung Htet Hein) (H.C.) Lynn Daddy (Thet Lynn Htut) (A.C.) DJ (Daung Jaune) N/A

M5 Wild Card

MLBB M5 Wild Card
2023
Tournament information
SportMobile Legends: Bang Bang
DatesNovember 23–26, 2023
AdministratorMoonton
Tournament
format(s)
Group stage
Single Round Robin Format
Host(s) Malaysia
Venue(s)Jio Space
Teams8
Purse$900,000

The M5 Wild Card tournament is a qualifying tournament for the MLBB M5 World Championship, an esports tournament for the Mobile Game Mobile Legends: Bang Bang.

The M5 World Championship was the first edition to include a wild card round.[17] The top two teams will qualify for the main tournament.

  • Wildcard Groups: November 23-25th, 2023
    • 8 teams will be randomly drawn into 2 groups.
    • Single Round Robin, all matches are played in a Bo1.
    • Top 2 teams from each groups will play in Crossover Match.
    • Bottom 2 teams from each groups will be eliminated from the tournament.
  • Crossover Match: November 26th, 2023
    • First place will compete in a Bo5 against the second placer from the other group.
    • Winner of each matches will advance to Group Stage.
    • Loser will be eliminated.
Region League Qualification method Team name ID Group
South Asia MLBB Champion Battles (MCB) MLBB Champion Battles (MCB) Champions Nepal 4Merical Esports[18] 4M A
Mekong Region M5 M Challenge Cup M5 M Challenge Cup Champions Laos Niightmare Esports NM A
Malaysia MPL Malaysia MPL Malaysia Season 12 Runners-Up Malaysia Team SMG[19] SMG A
Latin America Liga LATAM Liga LATAM 2023 2nd Runners-Up Peru Imperio Esports IMPE B
Eastern Europe and Central Asia MLBB Continental Championship MLBB Continental Championship Season 2 Runners-Up Commonwealth of Independent States Umbrella Squad US B
Mongolia MLBB ESN National Championship MLBB ESN National Champions Mongolia Team Lilgun lg B
Middle East and North Africa MPL MENA MPL MENA Fall Split 2023 Runners-Up Saudi Arabia Team Falcons FLCN A
China M5 China Qualifier M5 China Qualifier Champions China Keep Best Gaming KBG B

Wild Card roster

Team Players Coach/Manager
Jungle Exp Lane Gold Lane Midlaner Roamer
China KeepBestGaming China Simba

(Wang Yi)

 China Past (Wang Xupeng) ChinaSiyu (Gao Yifan) ChinaGodyang (Yang Yang) China LMU (Shen Yuan) ChinaTides (Yang Shangteng) China Webby
Team Lilgun Zxaura (Bagabandi Teshjargal) Aizn (Enkhbat Munkhharaa) Bebex (Erdenemunkh Chinsukh) Forbid (Amarmurun Mandah) Ethan (Batbold Batjargal) zMitch

(Mitch Sato)

4Merical Esports Lunatic Panda (Biplak Kandangwa) Masarap (Aayush Bhandari) Yahiko (Aayush Rai) Hybrid Xerox (Alish Shrestha) Clock (Sudeep Bolakhe) Amoux

(Muhammad Ariff Iswandi bin Johar)

Niightmare Esports 2Ez4Lexxy (Mongkonethong Sinbandit) Jvckkk (Vanvilay Ouanlamany) Juviana

(Phoutthavan Pheugpasomxay)

 Khammy (Khampaseuth Hanxana) Sosoul (Phonesana Inthavongxay) J4zBin (Sengathit Phounsavat) Alain

(Sathapone Kayavong)

Umbrella Squad Russia Marl

(Sergey Finashev)

 Russia Fangor

(Gorin Stanislav Sergeevich)

 Russia Castle

(Atalaev Ramazan Atalaevich)

 Russia BlackMarch

(Falin Timur Jurevich)

 Russia Troublemaker

(Shakhid Mokhammad)

 Russia A F K Defender

(Andrii Martynenko)

Saudi Arabia Team Falcons Lio (Mahmoud Mostafa Mahmoud Elsayed) Hulk (Abdulaziz Helal M. Sulaimani) Lawtrick (Patrick Lawrence G. Ciego) Goodnight (Fabito Jelo) Super

(Ahmad Sameer Ibraheem Alzaglul)

 Saudi Arabia Kevin
Argentina Imperio AURORAA (Juan Sebastian Tello) Markinho (Marcó Dario Maita Colque) Yur (Matias Ezequiel Canaviri Vargas) Feshin (Juan Jose Rafael) Stephe (José Carlos Loayza Machaca) El Viejo (Maximiliano Omar Frenedoso Aragona)
Malaysia Team SMG Malaysia Subway (Wan Mohamad Danish Safwan Bin Mohd Sakirin) Philippines Saxa (Kenneth Fedelin) Malaysia Smooth (Aeliff Adam Md Ariff) Malaysia Sasa (Lu Khai Bean) Malaysia Stormie (Hazziq Danish Bin Mohamad Rizwan) Philippines Mikko (Deomark Tabangay) Philippines Coach Pao (Ren Paolo Villanueva)

Group stage

Group A

Pos Team Pld W L GF GA GD Qualification Team SMG Nightmare Esports Team Falcons 4Merical Esports
1 Team SMG 3 3 0 6 2 +4 Qualification for Wildcard Bracket — 2–1 2–1 2–0
2 Nightmare Esports 3 2 1 5 3 +2 1–2 — 2–1 2–0
3 Team Falcons 3 1 2 4 4 0 Eliminated from Contention 1–2 1–2 — 2–0
4 4Merical Esports 3 0 3 0 6 −6 0–2 0–2 0–2 —
Updated to match(es) played on unknown. Source: Moonton

Group B

Pos Team Pld W L GF GA GD Qualification Team Lilgun Imperio Esports Umbrella Squad Keep Best Gaming
1 Team Lilgun 3 3 0 6 2 +4 Qualification for Wildcard Bracket — 2–1 2–1 2–0
2 Imperio Esports 3 2 1 5 2 +3 1–2 — 2–0 2–1
3 Umbrella Squad 3 1 2 3 4 −1 Eliminated from Contention 1–2 0–2 — 2–0
4 Keep Best Gaming 3 0 3 0 6 −6 0–2 0–2 0–2 —
Updated to match(es) played on unknown. Source: Moonton

Crossover match

Knockout Round
(Best-of-5) 		Qualified Teams
      
1A Team SMG 3
2B Imperio Esports 1
1A Team SMG Qualified for Group B
1B Team Lilgun Qualified for Group C
1B Team Lilgun 3
2A Nightmare Esports 0

Main Stage

Draw

On November 3, the mechanics of the Group Draw was announced for the M5 Tournament proper, not the Wild Card tournament. There were three pool of teams: Pool 1, Pool 2 and Pool 3. Pool 1 contained the champions and runners-up of MPL Philippines and MPL Indonesia Season 12 in AP Bren, ONIC Esports, Blacklist International and Geek Fam. Pool 2 contained eight champions from different regions including Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia and Turkey. Pool 3 showcased Deus Vult, Bigetron Sons, and two of the qualifying wildcard teams.

The Group Draw followed three outlying principles:

  • Principle A: All Teams from the same region can no be drawn into the same group;
  • Principle B: All Teams from Pool 1 will not be drawn into the same group; All Teams from Pool 3 will not be drawn into the same group;
  • Principle C: The Serpentine Order of Drawing will be followed: ABCD-ABCD-ABCD-ABCD.

The Group Draw was accompanied with a Press Conference on November 4, 2023. Special Guests Gerald "Dlar" Trinchera and Jonard "Demonkite" Caranto were invited as Guest Stars for the said event.[20]

Group Draw Pools
Pool 1 Pool 2 Pool 3
Philippines AP Bren Turkey Fire Flux Esports Brazil RRQ Akira Commonwealth of Independent States Deus Vult
Philippines Blacklist International Cambodia SeeYouSoon Malaysia HomeBois Brazil Bigetron Sons
Indonesia ONIC Esports Myanmar Burmese Ghouls Singapore Team Flash M5 Wildcard Team 1
Indonesia Geek Fam ID United States TheOhioBrothers Saudi Arabia Triple Esports M5 Wildcard Team 2
M5 World Championship Groups
Group A Group B Group C Group D
Indonesia ONIC Esports Philippines Blacklist International Philippines AP Bren Indonesia Geek Fam ID
Cambodia SeeYouSoon Turkey Fire Flux Esports Myanmar Burmese Ghouls United States TheOhioBrothers
Saudi Arabia Triple Esports Brazil RRQ Akira Singapore Team Flash Malaysia HomeBois
Brazil Bigetron Sons Malaysia Team SMG Mongolia Team Lilgun Commonwealth of Independent States Deus Vult

Group stage

Group A

Pos Team Pld W L GF GA GD Qualification
ONIC
SYS
TE
BTR
1 ONIC Esports (Q) 3 3 0 6 0 +6 Qualified for the Knockout Brackets — 2–0 2–0 2–0
2 See You Soon (Q) 3 2 1 4 2 +2 0–2 — 2–0 2–0
3 Triple Esports (E) 3 1 2 2 5 −3 Eliminated from the World Championships 0–2 0–2 — 2–1
4 Bigetron Sons (E) 3 0 3 1 6 −5 0–2 0–2 1–2 —
Updated to match(es) played on 2 December. Source:
(E) Eliminated; (Q) Qualified for the phase indicated

Group B

Pos Team Pld W L GF GA GD Qualification
FFE
BLCK
RRQ-A
SMG
1 Fire Flux Esports (Q) 3 2 1 5 2 +3 Qualified for the Knockout Brackets — 2–0 1–2 2–0
2 Blacklist International (Q) 3 2 1 4 3 +1 0–2 — 2–1 2–0
3 RRQ Akira (E) 3 1 2 3 5 −2 Eliminated from the World Championships 0–2 1–2 — 2–1
4 Team SMG (E) 3 1 2 3 5 −2 0–2 0–2 2–1 —
Source: https://m5.mobilelegends.com/standing-m5-main-stage
(E) Eliminated; (Q) Qualified for the phase indicated

Group C

Pos Team Pld W L GF GA GD Qualification
APBR
BG
FL
LG
1 AP Bren (Q) 3 3 0 6 0 +6 Qualified for the Knockout Brackets — 2–0 2–0 2–0
2 Burmese Ghouls (Q) 3 1 2 3 4 −1 0–2 — 2–0 1–2
3 Team Flash (E) 3 1 2 3 5 −2 Eliminated from the World Championships 0–2 0–2 — 2–1
4 Team Lilgun (E) 3 1 2 2 5 −3 0–2 2–1 1–2 —
Source: https://m5.mobilelegends.com/standing-m5-main-stage
(E) Eliminated; (Q) Qualified for the phase indicated

Group D

Pos Team Pld W L GF GA GD Qualification
GEEK
DeVu
HB
TOB
1 Geek Fam ID (Q) 3 2 1 4 3 +1 Qualified for the Knockout Brackets — 2–1 0–2 2–0
2 Deus Vult (Q) 3 2 1 5 4 +1 1–2 — 2–1 2–1
3 Homebois (E) 3 1 2 4 4 0 Eliminated from the World Championships 2–0 1–2 — 1–2
4 TheOhioBrothers (E) 3 1 2 3 5 −2 0–2 1–2 2–1 —
Source: https://m5.mobilelegends.com/standing-m5-main-stage
(E) Eliminated; (Q) Qualified for the phase indicated

Knockout Stage

Upper Bracket Quarterfinals
(Best-of-5)		Upper Bracket Semifinals
(Best of 5)		Upper Bracket Finals
(Best of 5)		Grand Finals
(Best of 7)
B1 Fire Flux Esports1
D2 Deus Vult3
D2 Deus Vult0
A1 ONIC Esports3
A1 ONIC Esports3
B2 Blacklist Int.2
A1 ONIC Esports3
C1 AP Bren0
C1 AP Bren3
A2 See You Soon1
C1Philippines AP Bren3
D1Indonesia Geek Fam ID1
D1 Geek Fam ID3
C2 Burmese Ghouls2A1 ONIC Esports3
C1 AP Bren4
Lower Bracket Knockouts
(Best of 5)		Lower Bracket Quarterfinals
(Best of 5)		Lower Bracket Semifinals
(Best of 5)		Lower Bracket Finals
(Best of 5)
B2 Blacklist Int.3
B1 Fire Flux Esports1D1 Geek Fam ID1B2 Blacklist Int.0
B2 Blacklist Int.3B2 Blacklist Int.3C1 AP Bren3
D2 Deus Vult0
A2 See You Soon2
A2Cambodia See You Soon3D2 Deus Vult3
C2Myanmar Burmese Ghouls0

The series between See You Soon and Deus Vult in the Lower Bracket Quarterfinals was a first in the world stage as Deus Vult were able to reverse sweep See You Soon after falling in a 2-0 deficit. It was Malaysia's TODAK who was able to pull off a reverse sweep during the knockout stage in an MLBB World Championships, reverse sweeping CIS representative Natus Vincere 3-2 in M3.

ONIC Esports denied AP Bren its Grand Finals spot in the Upper Bracket Final after a 3-0 sweep over the Philippine champions. The Grand Final match would be the first Philippines vs. Indonesian Final in the M-Series and the first Indonesian appearance since M1. AP Bren defeated Blacklist International 3-0 in the Lower Bracket Finals to face a rematch against ONIC. After holding a 3-1 lead, ONIC won two straight games to force Game 7 which AP Bren won through a crucial pickoff on Kairi "Kairi" Rayosdelsol while traversing and checking the bush in the middle lane.

Final standings

Region and team name League Match wins W/L finish Win rate Final placement Prize
WC CM GS KB GF
AP Bren MPL PH — — 6-0 9-5 4-3 19-8 .704 Champions $300,000
ONIC Esports MPL ID — — 6-0 9-2 3-4 18-6 .750 1st Runner-up $120,000
Blacklist International MPL PH — — 4-3 11-8 Eliminated 15-11 .577 2nd Runner-up $80,000
Deus Vault MCC — — 5-4 6-9 Eliminated 11-8 .579 3rd Runner-up $55,000
SeeYouSoon MPL KH — — 4-2 6-6 Eliminated 10-8 .556 5th–6th $40,000
Geek Fam Indonesia MPL ID — — 4-3 5-8 Eliminated 9-11 .450
Burmese Ghouls M5Q — — 3-4 2-6 Eliminated 5-9 .357 7th–8th $30,000
Fire Flux Esports MTC — — 5-2 2-6 Eliminated 11-8 .579
Triple Esports MENA — — 2-5 Eliminated 2-5 .286 9th–12th $20,000
Team Flash MPL SG — — 3-5 Eliminated 3-5 .375
HomeBois MPL MY — — 4-4 Eliminated 4-4 .500
Malaysia Team SMG MPL MY 3-0 3-1 3-5 Eliminated 9-6 .600
RRQ Akira LATAM — — 3-5 Eliminated 3-5 .375 13th–16th $15,000
Team Lilgun MGLQ 3-0 3-0 2-5 Eliminated 8-5 .615
Bigetron Sons LATAM — — 1-6 Eliminated 1-6 .143
TheOhioBrothers NACT — — 3-5 Eliminated 3-5 .200
Niightmare Esports MEKONG 2-1 0-3 Eliminated 2–4 .333 17th–18th $10,000
Argentina Imperio LATAM 2-1 1-3 Eliminated 3–4 .429
Saudi Arabia Team Falcons MENA 1-2 Eliminated 1–2 .333 19th–20th
Umbrella Squad MCC 0-3 Eliminated 0–3 .000
4Merical Esports M5SAQ 0-3 Eliminated 0–3 .000 21st–22nd
China KeepBestGaming M5CHQ 0-3 Eliminated 0–3 .000

AP Bren recorded a .704 win rate during the entirety of the competition, tying ONIC with a 6-0 record in the Group Stage. AP Bren defeated See You Soon (3-1) and Geek Fam Indonesia (3-1) in the Knockout stage but fell to the lower-bracket to ONIC Esports in 0-3. They recorded a 13-11 record for the entirety of the knockout stage with the Grand Finals included. ONIC Esports has the highest winning rate of .750 among all teams in M5 followed by Team Lilgun (.615) and Team SMG (.600).

Special awards

Special awards were distributed during the opening program of the Grand Finale of M5. Spearheaded by Sophie Guo, the Regional Esports Head of Moonton Games, awarded The M5 Fan Choice Award to ONIC Esports' Assistant Coach, Ahmad "Mars" Fakhre.

  • M5 Fan Choice Award: ONIC Esports[21]

Marketing

Sponsors

The M5 World Championships oversees regional partners from different countries to get the chance to stream the tournament in the participating countries and also worldwide.

Company name Classification Country/region of partnership
ASUS Republic of Gamers Official Gaming Phone Global
Qiddiya Presenting Partner
Grab Unlimited Official Superapp Partner
Secretlab Official Chair Partner
Smart Telecommunications Official Telco Partner Philippines
Maya Official Digital Bank
EVM Convention Center Venue Partner
Philippine Sports Commission
Department of Tourism Endorser
Hotlink Official Mobile Internet Malaysia
Nescafé Official Beverage
TNTCO Official Merchandise Partner
Astro Arena 2 Official Broadcast Partner
ESI Strategic Partner
Pejabat Belia Dan Sukan Strategic Partner
TVRI Sport Official Broadcaster Indonesia
Vidio Official Broadcaster
Indomaret Merchandise Partner

M5 Pass

Moonton announced that the Fighter Hero Yu Zhong will be receiving this edition's special M5 Pass Skin.[22] The M5 Pass is a in-game pass that gives players rewards and incentives while doing Daily Tasks and Challenges. The M5 Pass includes custom M5 effects such as Recall Animations, Kill Animations, a Trail Animation for the Hero, Limited Edition Skins and in-game rewards that can be used to unlock more rewards.

Upon purchasing any M5 Pass, Yu Zhong's "Dragon's Shade" Skin would be attained by every person who purchase it while its prime skin "Cosmic Dragon" is able to be attained once the player's M5 pass reaches Level 75. The M5 Pass was officially made to be available on November 20.

Theme song

On November 12, 2023, the song "Better Than Great" was released as the official song of the tournament in Spotify.

Ten days later on November 22, the music video for Better Than Great was released featuring several players participating and players who made a great impact for MLBB worldwide like ONIC Esports' Kairi Rayosdelsol and Nicky "Kiboy" Pontonuwu, Avalon's Jungler Michael "MobaZane" Cosgun, Nicholas "Akashi" Vieira of Bigetron Sons, ECHO Philippines' Karl "KarlTzy" Nepomuceno, Zikry "Moon" Shamsuddin of TODAK, and symbolism from Johnmar "OhMyV33Nus" Villaluna's "Queen" Pose. As of December 15, 2023, the Music Video has 2.5 million views on YouTube.

Controversies

On October 28, the Philippines' MLBB M5 Greatest Players Nominees were unveiled prior to the Grand Finals stage between AP Bren and Blacklist International.[23] The nominees snubbed names such as Johnmar "OhMyV33Nus" Villaluna, Danerie "Wise" Del Rosario and Kiel Calvin "Oheb" Soriano during the announcement. Furthermore, during the MLBB M5 Trailer, little-to-no footage were depicted showing the MLBB M3 World Championships, to which Blacklist International won.

Del Rosario and Villaluna took to YouTube where they address the situation, finding out that one of the nominees, Nainglin "ACE" Swe of Myanmar was a part of a certain brand that was the reason why Del Rosario and Villaluna were snubbed during the nomination. Del Rosario and Villaluna are part of a legal-betting website named "Rivalry". According to the Greatest Players Nominee criteria, the VeeWise tandem looked onto the final criteria, "Not included in illegal activities, including promotion or soliciting." Both Del Rosario and Villaluna addressed the situation with Moonton privately alongside getting Tier One Entertainment, the management of Blacklist International to step in and communicate with Moonton.

On November 9, Swe has officially announced his withdrawal from the nomination from the Greatest Players, citing that he did not match one of he criteria from the nomination. This also ends the rift between Myanmar fans and Filipino fans whom are divided in the situation. The nominations for Soriano, Del Rosario and Villaluna are still not included to negate unintended misunderstandings.[24]

References

  1. ↑ "AP.Bren wins M5 World Championships". cnn. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
  2. ↑ Jones, Lee (December 18, 2023). "M5 World Championship records over 5m viewers". esportsinsider.com. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
  3. ↑ Pineda, Carlos (January 15, 2023). "It's official: M5 World Championship will be held in the Philippines". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  4. ↑ "MLBB: Wildcard for PH-hosted M5 to be held in Malaysia". ABS-CBN News. July 26, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  5. ↑ Lai, Adrian (November 18, 2019). "The M1 World Championship and The Rise of Mobile Esports in SEA". IGN Southeast Asia. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  6. ↑ Rossel, John Dave. "All We Know About the MLBB M2 World Championship". AFK Gaming. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  7. ↑ "Singapore will host the MLBB M3 World Championship this December". Yahoo! Singapore. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  8. ↑ "M4 World Championship will be held in Indonesia in 2023". ONE Esports. August 22, 2022. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
  9. ↑ Coloma, AC. "MLBB: Venue for M5 group stages, knockouts announced". ABS-CBN News.
  10. ↑ Pineda, Carlos (October 26, 2023). "EVM Covention Center and Rizal Memorial Coliseum will host M5". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
  11. ↑ "M5 World Championship: Full list of teams qualified | ONE Esports". One Esports.gg. October 15, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  12. ↑ Dannug, Jonash (October 14, 2023). "Baloyskie, Markyyyyy qualify to M5 after leading Geek Fam to first-ever MPL ID finals". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  13. ↑ "See You Soon makes an epic comeback in M5 World Championship | Metropoler". October 11, 2023. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Mobile Legends News : The teams for the M5 Wildcard Tournament are set | GosuGamers". www.gosugamers.net. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
  15. ↑ "Bren Esports wraps up M2 Worlds millions richer". RAPPLER. January 25, 2021. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
  16. ↑ Ubaldo, JohnEd (October 27, 2023). "MPL PH: AP.Bren books return to M-series with sweep of Blacklist". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
  17. ↑ "MLBB: Wildcard for PH-hosted M5 to be held in Malaysia". ABS-CBN News. July 26, 2023. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  18. ↑ "Nepal's 4Merical eSports wins MCB MLBB Champion Battles". Online Khabar. September 18, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  19. ↑ Ubaldo, John Ed (October 9, 2023). "Saxa, Mikko to represent MPL Malaysia in M5 Wild Card". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  20. ↑ "Drawing M5 segera digelar! Menanti calon lawan ONIC dan Geek | ONE Esports Indonesia". www.oneesports.id (in Indonesian). November 3, 2023. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
  21. ↑ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  22. ↑ M5 Excellent Events Preview | M5 Events Trailer | Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, retrieved November 13, 2023
  23. ↑ "Karltzy, Pheww, Ribo lead MPL PH nominees in MOONTON's 10 Greatest Players list". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  24. ↑ "MOONTON says sorry over betting-tied players' 'Greatest Player' nomination". www.news.abs-cbn.com. November 9, 2023. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
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