MLBB M5 World Championship
| 2023 | |
 | |
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Sport | Mobile Legends: Bang Bang |
| Dates | 2–17 December 2023 |
| Administrator | Moonton |
Tournament format(s) | Group stage Single Round Robin Format Playoffs Double Elimination Format |
| Host |  Philippines |
| Venue(s) | EVM Convention Center (Group Stage and Knockouts Stage 1) Rizal Memorial Coliseum (Knockouts Stage 2 and Grand Finals) |
| Teams | 16 |
| Purse | $900,000 |
| Website | https://m5.mobilelegends.com/ |
| Final positions | |
| Champion | AP Bren (2nd Title) |
| 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 Championships and M5, was the fifth edition of the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang World Championship, an esports tournament for the mobile phone MOBA game Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. The world championship lasted from November 23 until December 17, 2023.[1]
This edition of the world series foresaw an increase in regional and team participation with new entries including South Asia, Mekong, Mongolia and China.[2][3] Meanwhile, team qualifications for Latin America increased from one representative to two for this edition. This world championship featured the first wild card event where eight (8) teams from the aforementioned regions including Malaysia, Europe, MENA, and LATAM were able to compete for two wildcard slots.[2] It also featured then, the highest prize pool for any international MLBB competition at $900,000, and the highest number of team participation in all of its editions.[4]
In the Grand Finals, AP Bren won the M5 World Championship title in seven games,[5] defeating Indonesia's ONIC Esports making them the only organization thus far to win two-world championship titles. This was the second-time that an Indonesian and Filipino representative faced each other in the Grand Finals of a major MLBB tournament, the first being Blacklist International and ONIC Esports during MSC 2023.[6]
The Grand Finals match also broke the M4 World Championship’s Grand Finals viewership record—recording 5,067,107 peak live viewers during the match, making it the most-watched MLBB game in history and the second-most watched game in 2023,[7] just behind the 2023 League of Legends World Championship between T1 and Weibo Gaming.
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.[8] Malaysia was later announced to be the host of the wildcard round.[9]
Previously, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia held the first four editions of the games, M1 in Kuala Lumpur;[10] M2[11] and M3[12] in Singapore; and M4 in Jakarta.[13]
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.
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.[14][15]
| Group Stage and Knockout Stage Phase 1 | Knockout Stage Phase 2 and Grand Finals | Venues within Metro Manila |
|---|---|---|
| Quezon City | Manila | |
Capacity: 1,659 | Capacity: 6,100 | |
 | .jpg/1280px-Rizal_Memorial_Coliseum_-_sign_(Malate,_Manila;_11-23-2019).jpg) |
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 2 to 7, 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 9 to 17, 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.
- 8 teams from Group Stage will play in a double-elimination bracket.
| Region | League | Qualification method[16] | Team name | ID | Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philippines | MPL Philippines | MPL Philippines Season 12 Champions | AP Bren | APBR | C |
| MPL Philippines Season 12 Runners-Up | Blacklist International | BLCK | B | ||
| Indonesia | MPL Indonesia | MPL Indonesia Season 12 Champions | ONIC Esports | ONIC | A |
| MPL Indonesia Season 12 Runners-Up | Geek Fam ID[17] | GEEK | D | ||
| Latin America | Liga LATAM | Liga LATAM 2023 Champions |  RRQ Akira | RRQ | B |
| Liga LATAM 2023 Runners-Up | Bigetron Sons | BTR | A | ||
| Malaysia | MPL Malaysia | MPL Malaysia Season 12 Champions |  HomeBois | HB | D |
| Singapore | MPL Singapore | MPL Singapore Season 6 Champions |  Team Flash | FL | C |
| Cambodia | MPL Cambodia | MPL Cambodia Autumn Split 2023 Champions |  SeeYouSoon | SYS | A |
| Middle East and North Africa | MPL MENA | MPL MENA Fall Split 2023 Champions |  Triple Esports | TE | A |
| Myanmar | M5 Myanmar Qualifiers | M5 Myanmar Qualifier Champions |  Burmese Ghouls | BG | C |
| Turkiye | MTC Turkiye Championship | MLBB Türkiye Şampiyonası Season 2 Champions |  Fire Flux Esports | FF | B |
| North America | MLBB NACT | MLBB NACT Fall Season 2023 Champions |  TheOhioBrothers | TOB | D |
| Eastern Europe and Central Asia | MLBB Continental Championships | MLBB Continental Championships Season 2 Champions |  Deus Vult | DeVu | D |
| Malaysia | M5 Wildcard Qualifiers | M5 Wildcard Qualifying Team | Team SMG | SMG | B |
| Mongolia | M5 Wildcard Qualifiers | M5 Wildcard Qualifying Team |  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.[18][19]
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.[20] 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.[21]
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 (Sulaiman Alrashdi) | Krauser | Lyrick (Hendrich Clahi) | .svg/1280px-Flag_of_Syria_(2025-).svg.png){kind=small}  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 (Şiyar Akbulut) | ||
| TheOhioBrothers | NACT | Bestplayer1(Carlos Ortega Vega) | Mielow (Chris Enobio) |  Hoon (Jang Seong-hoon) | ZIA (Ziameth-Jei Caluya) | SHARK (Vo Trung) | Wrath (Jared Gillespie) | .svg/1280px-Flag_of_Canada_(Pantone).svg.png){kind=small} PikaPikaML (Steve Tran) | 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
| 2023 | |
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Sport | Mobile Legends: Bang Bang |
| Dates | November 23–26, 2023 |
| Administrator | Moonton |
Tournament format(s) | Group stage Single Round Robin Format |
| Host | Malaysia |
| Venue | Jio Space |
| Teams | 8 |
| 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.[22] The top two teams will qualify for the main tournament.
- Wildcard Groups: November 23 to 25, 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 26, 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 |  4Merical Esports[23] | 4M | A |
| Mekong Region | M5 M Challenge Cup | M5 M Challenge Cup Champions |  Niightmare Esports | NM | A |
| Malaysia | MPL Malaysia | MPL Malaysia Season 12 Runners-Up | Team SMG[24] | SMG | A |
| Latin America | Liga LATAM | Liga LATAM 2023 2nd Runners-Up |  Imperio Esports | IMPE | B |
| Eastern Europe and Central Asia | MLBB Continental Championship | MLBB Continental Championship Season 2 Runners-Up | Umbrella Squad | US | B |
| Mongolia | MLBB ESN National Championship | MLBB ESN National Champions | Team Lilgun | lg | B |
| Middle East and North Africa | MPL MENA | MPL MENA Fall Split 2023 Runners-Up | Team Falcons | FLCN | A |
| China | M5 China Qualifier | M5 China Qualifier Champions |  Keep Best Gaming | KBG | B |
Wild Card roster
Group stage
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | GF | GA | GD | Qualification | Team SMG | Nightmare Esports | Team Falcons | 4Merical Esports | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Team SMG (H) | 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 | 1–2 | 1–2 | — | 2–0 | ||
| 4 | 4Merical Esports | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | −6 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | — |
(H) Hosts
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 | 1–2 | 0–2 | — | 2–0 | ||
| 4 | Keep Best Gaming | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | −6 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | — |
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.[25]
| Pool 1 | Pool 2 | Pool 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| AP Bren | Fire Flux Esports | RRQ Akira | Deus Vult |
| Blacklist International | SeeYouSoon | HomeBois | Bigetron Sons |
| ONIC Esports | Burmese Ghouls | Team Flash | M5 Wildcard Team 1 |
| Geek Fam ID | TheOhioBrothers | Triple Esports | M5 Wildcard Team 2 |
| M5 World Championship Groups | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D |
| ONIC Esports | Blacklist International | AP Bren | Geek Fam ID |
| SeeYouSoon | Fire Flux Esports | Burmese Ghouls | TheOhioBrothers |
| Triple Esports | RRQ Akira | Team Flash | HomeBois |
| Bigetron Sons | Team SMG | Team Lilgun | Deus Vult |
Group stage
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | GF | GA | GD | Qualification | ONIC | SYS | TE | BTR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ONIC Esports | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | +6 | Qualified for the Knockout Brackets | — | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | |
| 2 | See You Soon | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 0–2 | — | 2–0 | 2–0 | ||
| 3 | Triple Esports | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | −3 | 0–2 | 0–2 | — | 2–1 | ||
| 4 | Bigetron Sons | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 6 | −5 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–2 | — |
Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | GF | GA | GD | Qualification | FFE | BLCK | RRQ-A | SMG | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fire Flux Esports | 3 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 2 | +3 | Qualified for the Knockout Brackets | — | 2–0 | 1–2 | 2–0 | |
| 2 | Blacklist International (H) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 0–2 | — | 2–1 | 2–0 | ||
| 3 | RRQ Akira | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | −2 | 2–1 | 1–2 | — | 1–2 | ||
| 4 | Team SMG | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | −2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–1 | — |
(H) Hosts
Group C
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | GF | GA | GD | Qualification | APBR | BG | FL | LG | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AP Bren (H) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | +6 | Qualified for the Knockout Brackets | — | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | |
| 2 | Burmese Ghouls | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 0–2 | — | 2–0 | 1–2 | ||
| 3 | Team Flash | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | −2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | — | 2–1 | ||
| 4 | Team Lilgun | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | −3 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 1–2 | — |
(H) Hosts
Group D
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | GF | GA | GD | Qualification | GEEK | DeVu | HB | TOB | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Geek Fam ID | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 | Qualified for the Knockout Brackets | — | 2–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | |
| 2 | Deus Vult | 3 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 1–2 | — | 2–1 | 2–1 | ||
| 3 | Homebois | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 2–0 | 1–2 | — | 1–2 | ||
| 4 | TheOhioBrothers | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | −2 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 2–1 | — |
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 Esports | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| D2 | Deus Vult | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| D2 | Deus Vult | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| A1 | ONIC Esports | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| A1 | ONIC Esports | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| B2 | Blacklist Int. | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| A1 | ONIC Esports | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| C1 | AP Bren | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| C1 | AP Bren | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| A2 | See You Soon | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| C1 | AP Bren | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| D1 | Geek Fam ID | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| D1 | Geek Fam ID | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| C2 | Burmese Ghouls | 2 | A1 | ONIC Esports | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
| C1 | AP Bren | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 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 Esports | 1 | D1 | Geek Fam ID | 1 | B2 | Blacklist Int. | 0 | |||||||||||||||
| B2 | Blacklist Int. | 3 | B2 | Blacklist Int. | 3 | C1 | AP Bren | 3 | |||||||||||||||
| D2 | Deus Vult | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| A2 | See You Soon | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| A2 | See You Soon | 3 | D2 | Deus Vult | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
| C2 | Burmese Ghouls | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
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 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 | |||
| 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 | ||
 Imperio | LATAM | 2-1 | 1-3 | Eliminated | 3–4 | .429 | ||||
| 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 | ||||
| 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.[citation needed]
- M5 Fan Choice Award:
ONIC Esports[26]
M-Series 5th Anniversary: Greatest 10 Players Award
The M-Series 5th Anniversary individual awards were released prior to the playoffs of the M5 World Championships. The nomination process went through certain criterions released by Moonton. However, the nominees were plagued into controversies due to the snubbing of the "VEEWISE" duo of Johnmar "OhMyV33Nus" Villaluna and Danerie James "Wise Del Rosario due to their affiliation with the online-betting site Rivalry.[27] Furthermore, M3 World Champion Finals MVP Kiel Calvin "OHEB" Soriano was also snubbed in the nomination process. The controversy led to the withdrawal of Naing Lin "ACE" Swe from being a contender due to his own affiliation with a separate online-betting site which caused outraged from Burmese fans. Swe withdrew from being part of the nomination list and on a shorter notice, Moonton released a public apology for their unseen overview of the situation.[28]
The list of awardees were made up of 6 Filipino players, 3 Indonesian players and 1 Burmese player.[29]
| Name | IGN | Role | Region | Accomplishment(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angelo Arcangel | Pheww | Mid Lane | Philippines |
|
| Swan Aung | RubyDD | EXP Lane | Myanmar |
|
| Muhammad Ikhsan | Lemon | Mid Lane | Indonesia |
|
| Edward Dapadap | Edward | EXP Lane | Philippines |
|
| Salic Imam | Hadji | Multirole | Philippines |
|
| Tristan Cabrera | Yawi | Roamer | Philippines |
|
| Eko Julianto | Oura | Gold Lane | Indonesia |
|
| Kairi Rayosdelsol | Kairi | Jungler | Philippines |
|
| Nicky Pontonuwu | Kiboy | Roamer | Indonesia |
|
| Karl Nepomuceno | KarlTzy | Jungler | Philippines |
|
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 City | 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 | 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.[30] 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.
Championship skin
Following AP Bren's victory, news outlets and reports repeatedly asked about the hero that the team will pick in for their championship skin.[31] It was decided that AP Bren has chosen the Marksman hero "Brody" for their championship skin as it was a signature pick for the team when it was open during drafting phases.
On March 20, 2024, Mobile Legends announced through their Facebook Page that Brody will become the official championship skin for the team. However, Finals MVP David "FlapTzy" Canon will be co-designing the very first "Finals MVP Skin" which was the Fighter hero "Paquito" making M5 the first world championship series to have two championship skins: One for the team and One from the Finals MVP.[32]
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.[33] 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 the 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.[34]
References
- ^ "M5 World Championship: Schedule, format, teams, streams | ONE Esports". www.oneesports.gg. December 17, 2023. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
- ^ a b "M5 Wildcard Slot sees Mongolia, South Asia, and more battle | ONE Esports". www.oneesports.gg. June 18, 2023. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
- ^ "China takes final slot in M5 Wild Card". Spin.ph. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
- ^ "Mobile Legends: Bang Bang M5 World Championship: Everything you need to know". Yahoo News. November 23, 2023. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
- ^ Dioquino, Delfin (December 17, 2023). "AP.Bren extends PH's Mobile Legends dominance, outlasts Onic Esports to capture M5 crown". RAPPLER. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
- ^ "ONIC Esports makes history, first team to win two MSC titles | ONE Esports 1". www.oneesports.gg. June 19, 2023. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
- ^ "Popular esports games in 2023 by viewership". Esports Charts. 2023. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "MLBB: Wildcard for PH-hosted M5 to be held in Malaysia". ABS-CBN News. July 26, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
- ^ Lai, Adrian (November 18, 2019). "The M1 World Championship and The Rise of Mobile Esports in SEA". IGN Southeast Asia. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
- ^ Rossel, John Dave (December 6, 2020). "All We Know About the MLBB M2 World Championship". AFK Gaming. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
- ^ "Singapore will host the MLBB M3 World Championship this December". Yahoo! Singapore. November 6, 2021. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
- ^ "M4 World Championship will be held in Indonesia in 2023". ONE Esports. August 22, 2022. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
- ^ Coloma, AC. "MLBB: Venue for M5 group stages, knockouts announced". ABS-CBN News.
- ^ Pineda, Carlos (October 26, 2023). "EVM Covention Center and Rizal Memorial Coliseum will host M5". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
- ^ "M5 World Championship: Full list of teams qualified | ONE Esports". One Esports.gg. October 15, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "See You Soon makes an epic comeback in M5 World Championship | Metropoler". October 11, 2023. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
- ^ "Mobile Legends News : The teams for the M5 Wildcard Tournament are set | GosuGamers". www.gosugamers.net. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
- ^ "Bren Esports wraps up M2 Worlds millions richer". RAPPLER. January 25, 2021. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
- ^ Ubaldo, JohnEd (October 27, 2023). "MPL PH: AP.Bren books return to M-series with sweep of Blacklist". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
- ^ "MLBB: Wildcard for PH-hosted M5 to be held in Malaysia". ABS-CBN News. July 26, 2023. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
- ^ "Nepal's 4Merical eSports wins MCB MLBB Champion Battles". Online Khabar. September 18, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
- ^ Ubaldo, John Ed (October 9, 2023). "Saxa, Mikko to represent MPL Malaysia in M5 Wild Card". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
- ^ Dannug, Jonash (October 28, 2023). "V33Wise, OHEB snubbed as MOONTON announces 'Greatest Players' nominees". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
- ^ Sujiwo, Adrian (November 10, 2023). "Ace and Moonton Issue Public Statements Amidst Uproar Over the Greatest Players List". ultiasia. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
- ^ "Full list of M-Series 5th Anniversary Awards winners | ONE Esports". www.oneesports.gg. December 10, 2023. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
- ^ M5 Excellent Events Preview | M5 Events Trailer | Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, retrieved November 13, 2023
- ^ calvintrilles (December 19, 2023). "AP Bren reveal the heroes they want for M5 champion skin | ONE Esports". www.oneesports.gg. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
- ^ calvintrilles (March 20, 2024). "M5 Champion Skin: AP Bren picks this marksman plus FMVP skin | ONE Esports". www.oneesports.gg. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
- ^ "Karltzy, Pheww, Ribo lead MPL PH nominees in MOONTON's 10 Greatest Players list". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
- ^ "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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External links