Sibol MLBB Men's team at the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand. Photo from Moonton Games/Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
(UPDATED) Philippines remained the golden standard in Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Men's division at the Southeast Asian Games.
This, as Sibol Men clinched their fourth straight gold medal in the regional sporting meet after outclassing Malaysia, 4-0, in the best-of-seven grand finals on Wednesday in Thailand.
They won the gold in the 2019 SEA Games in Manila, where it was staged for the first time, and also secured it in the Vietnam (2022) and Cambodia (2023) Games.
At one point in Game 3, Sibol—which was by then sitting on a 2-0 lead—was trailing, as Malaysia installed a 9.2k gold lead on a 13-1 kill advantage.
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However, the Nationals' base defense worked wonders, as their counterparts dove into the Philippines' side of the map without achieving objectives at the 11-minute mark.
Another clash proved pivotal, as Karl "KarlTzy" Nepomuceno stole the Lord from the Malaysians and the rest of Team Sibol killed off four of their rivals to mark their huge comeback.
“Nag-usap-usap lang talaga kami na hindi pa talaga namin kaya sa team fight. Nag-defend muna kami. Nagkamali lang talaga ‘yung Malaysia,” Alston "Sanji" Pabico said about their Game 3 return.
Riding on that momentum, Sibol quickly got ahead in the clinching match, finishing it under 14 minutes for the golden result.