Renejay, Blacklist ends Geek Fam's M5 run in lower bracket quarterfinals

MANILA, Philippines – Don't count them out perfectly fits Blacklist International.

The Codebreakers struggled in the early stages of Games 2-4, only for them to find groove down the stretch.

Endgame is Blacklist's territory and they ascertained that argument by shrugging off their slow start to end Geek Fam ID's Cinderella story in the M5 World Championship lower bracket, 3-1, in a best-of-five series on Friday, December 15, here at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.

Up next for BLCK on Saturday, December 16, at 11 a.m. is Deus Vult.

The reigning two-time Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) Continental Championships title holder reverse swept Cambodia's See You Soon, 3-2, in another Bo5 LB quarterfinal match to schedule a date with the M3 champion.

Reinforced by Filipino imports Allen "Baloyskie" Baloy and Marky "Markyyy" Carpaccio, the M-series debutant topped Group D on victories against Deus Vult and TheOhioBrothers.

Unfortunately, it came with a price as Moonton Games suspended Manuel "Nnael" Simbolon for two games after flashing his middle finger in Geek Fam's 2-1 triumph over Deus Vult on the fourth day of the group stages.

Thankfully, substitute Mohammad "Caderaa" Pambudi delivered in Nnael's place as the MPL Indonesia Season 12 runner-up progressed to the upper bracket semis, taking down Myanmar's Burmese Ghouls.

However, the Philippines' AP.Bren left them without a choice but to defeat Blacklist in LB to remain in contention for the M5 title, defeating the latter, 3-1.

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Game One went Geek Fam's way, thanks to a strong showing from Markyyy with his Claude's three kills and four assists.

Returning from his suspension, Nnael's Baxia stifled Stephen "Sensui" Castillo's Fredrinn, disallowing the BLCK jungle from securing any major objectives inside the first 15 minutes of the series opener.

With momentum on the Indonesian side, Renejay "Renejay" Barcase's Mathilda became the beacon of hope for Blacklist to complete a come-from-behind victory in Game Two.

Renejay, who earned the Most Valuable Player in Game Two, did most of the damage by providing solid support to Kiel "Oheb" Soriano's Ixia to get his farm and core items, which he did.

In the ensuing team fights, no one from Geek Fam can stop Oheb's retaliation en route to finishing with a 7-3-9 line as BLCK thumped the Geeks, 19-9.

Same storyline in Game Three, with the Tier One-backed squad trailing in the early stages but regained their form to reach match point.

Renejay's Rafaela played a crucial role in Blacklist's four-man wipe in the 17th-minute lord dance before the Codebreakers finished off Geek Fam with Markyyyy as the only player left to defend their base.

Sensui's Akai also had a field day, listing three kills and five assists on one death.

There was no looking back for the Master the Basics' wards in Game Four, with Renejay using the organization's signature Estes pick that once again made wonders for them.

First, Blacklist survived an ambush initiated by Luke "Luke" Valentinus' Lapu-Lapu at the 14-minute mark with help from Renejay. Second and last, three minutes later, his mastery of Estes gave BLCK an edge over Geek Fam in another clash, leading to a 3-1 trade that ended the road for Baloyskie and company.

Renejay registered 10 assists and a trifecta of kills, while Kenneth "Yue" Tadeo's Gord collected three kills and nine assists and Edward "Edward" Dapadap's Terizla scored a flawless 2/0/9 KDA.

Geek Fam bowed out of the tournament as the joint fifth-sixth finisher in their maiden M-series appearance.

The Geeks qualified for the fifth iteration of the MLBB World Championship after barging into their first MPL Indonesia finals appearance in the league's Season 12.