MLBB: New timeslot, new playoffs format hype up MPL Philippines Season 13

The home of the strongest Mobile Legends: Bang Bang players in the world gets some resets in the upcoming 13th season of the MLBB Professional League or MPL Philippines.

All eyes are on the country from an MLBB esports perspective, as the country has been dominating in the world championship scene since 2021.

For the 13th season, all matches will now start at 4pm, and will be aired on the MPL Philippines’ official Facebook, TikTok, and Youtube channels.

MLBB developer MOONTON Games says, their campaign “4pm, MPL na!” (EN: At 4pm, it’s MPL time) is not just a catchy slogan.

“We also took into consideration that some of our fans will have to watch the games late because they have school, they have work, and sometimes on weekends, we do have family gatherings. So we want MPL Philippines to be their companion from afternoon until late night,” MOONTON Games Esports Marketing and Partnerships Manager Harry Leonardo told reporters in a press briefing March 1st.

8 pro teams will continue to be part of the league: current M5 World Champions AP Bren, Blacklist International, ECHO, RSG Philippines, TNC Pro Team, Smart Omega, ONIC Philippines and MINANA EVOS.

Bridgitte “Brigida” Ramos, a young Filipina MLBB caster, will also join the league as its newest female talent. The MPL Caster Search 2022 finalist won back-to-back Best Talent Awards during her stay in the MLBB Development League or MDL-PH Seasons 1 and 2. Brigida was also on the Filipino caster desk for the M5 World Championships in 2023.

Also calling the action for the Philippines’ premier MLBB league are some of the most renowned and experienced MLBB broadcasters of this generation: Manjean Faldas, Caisam “Wolf” Nopueto, Dan “Leo” Cubangay, Chantelle Hernandez, Theo “Uomi” Ignacio, Karl “Rockhart” To, Renmar Sta. Cruz, JC “Naisou” Rezabek, Aaron Paul “Burrito” Gaddi, Neil “Midnight” de Guzman, and Francis “OSX” Joses.

Mara Aquino and Hans Galeria will also serve as hosts, with this season having a two-host format.

Fans can watch the MPL Philippines regular season at the Shooting Gallery Studios in Makati City, Metro Manila starting March 15, with tickets being available at slashevent.com. The regular season will happen from March 15 to May 5, 2024, and then a break will happen before the playoffs from May 22-26, 2024 – at a still-to-be-announced venue.

Tickets will be priced starting at PHP200 (roughly US$4.00-5.00) for whole day passes.

NEW RULES FOR MPL-PH S13

Among the newest announcements for the league is a new scoring format, wherein in a best of 3 match, 2-1 scorers will now get 3 points from the previous 2. 1:2 losers will also get 1 point, while a 0:2 loser will get 0 points.

The aim, MOONTON Games says, is to make every series more competitive and valuable for each team.

Also, a new gauntlet playoff format has been introduced for the season:

• The Top 3 seeded teams from the Regular Season point rankings will advance directly to the Upper Bracket Semi-Finals. The remaining three teams will compete for the last spot in the Upper Bracket Semi-Finals.
• The 5th and 6th ranked teams will face each other in an elimination match. The winner of this match will then move on to face the 4th ranked team in another elimination match.
• The winner of this second match will secure the last spot in the Upper Bracket Semi-Finals.
• In the Upper Bracket Semi-Finals, the 1st ranked team in the standings will fight whoever wins between the 4th ranked team and the winner of the 5th/6th ranked team.
• The remaining 4 teams will be in a Double Elimination Format.

 

“As tournament organizers, we want to really create more ways to make things more competitive and interesting for our fans and audiences. Actually, we want to put more value on the efforts and hard work of the teams from the regular season which they will carry until the playoffs,” Leonardo said about the change in format.

Overall, this season will determine who among the Philippines’ pro teams will represent the country in the biggest MLBB esports event ever – the 2024 Mid-Season Cup in Saudi Arabia, which will have a US$3 million prize pool. The top two teams from MPL Philippines Season 13 will directly qualify for the 2024 MSC.

“MPL Philippines Season 13 will serve as the arena for the Philippine teams to once again prove their dominance in the world of MLBB esports. This season, we are challenged to recognize what winning is truly all about and uncover the various versions of victory for each member of the MLBB community,” says Bai Zhou Ning, MOONTON Games Philippines Esports Head.