MPL ID S18 playoffs: ONIC and EVOS out on day one as Alter Ego and Bigetron advance
Former champions ONIC and EVOS were eliminated on the MPL Indonesia Season 18 playoff opening day in Surabaya, ending their M8 hopes. NAVI and Team Liquid ID enter today.
Two former MPL Indonesia champions are already heading home. On the opening day of the MPL ID Season 18 playoffs at Jatim International Expo in Surabaya on Wednesday, 4 November, Alter Ego knocked out ONIC 3-1 and Bigetron by Vitality edged EVOS 3-2. Because only the two grand finalists qualify for the M8 World Championship, the defeats also end both clubs' chances of reaching Istanbul through Indonesia's league route.
Alter Ego halt ONIC
ONIC, the club behind Filipino jungler Kairi, were the first team eliminated from the playoffs. The two sides had split their regular-season meetings, with ONIC winning the first 2-0 and Alter Ego taking the second by the same score. In Surabaya, Alter Ego were the stronger side, closing out the best-of-five 3-1. Indonesian outlet EsportsID named Alter Ego's Dingarai as the series MVP.
Alter Ego carry real international weight into the rest of the bracket. They reached the M7 grand final in Jakarta in January before losing 4-0 to Aurora Gaming PH.
Bigetron survive EVOS in five
The evening match was tighter. Bigetron by Vitality and EVOS traded games all the way to a deciding fifth, which Bigetron won to take the series 3-2. Moreno was named MVP. As with the earlier tie, the head-to-head record coming in was level, with each team winning one regular-season meeting.
ONIC and EVOS both finish fifth to sixth and take home Rp63 million each from a total prize pool of Rp4.86 billion, roughly US$275,000.
Thursday's schedule in Malaysia time
The two top seeds, Team Liquid ID and NAVI, received byes after both finished the regular season at 12-4. They enter today in the second round of the upper bracket. Indonesia's Western Indonesia Time (WIB) is one hour behind Malaysia, so start times in MYT are:
- NAVI vs Alter Ego: Thursday 5 November, 2pm MYT (1pm WIB). Their regular-season series was split 1-1.
- Team Liquid ID vs Bigetron by Vitality: Thursday 5 November, 7pm MYT (6pm WIB). Liquid ID beat Bigetron 2-0 in both regular-season meetings.
Under the hybrid format, the two winners meet in the upper-bracket final, while the two losers drop into the lower-bracket semi-final instead of going straight home. Both of today's series are best-of-five.
Road to the grand final
The rest of the week runs as follows, all at Jatim International Expo:
- Friday 6 November: lower-bracket semi-final at 2pm MYT and upper-bracket final at 7pm MYT (both best-of-five)
- Saturday 7 November: lower-bracket final at 5pm MYT (best-of-seven)
- Sunday 8 November: grand final at 5pm MYT (best-of-seven)
The upper-bracket final winner books the first M8 ticket on Friday. The second goes to whoever wins Saturday's lower-bracket final. The champion collects around Rp1 billion. Matches stream live on the official MPL Indonesia YouTube channel.
Key takeaways
- Alter Ego beat ONIC 3-1 and Bigetron by Vitality beat EVOS 3-2 on 4 November.
- ONIC and EVOS are eliminated and cannot reach M8 through MPL Indonesia.
- Top seeds NAVI and Team Liquid ID begin their playoffs today, Thursday 5 November.
- The first M8 ticket is decided on Friday, the second on Saturday, and the champion on Sunday 8 November.
FAQ
Where are the MPL ID Season 18 playoffs being held? All playoff matches from 4 to 8 November are being played offline at Jatim International Expo in Surabaya, East Java.
What time is the MPL ID S18 grand final in Malaysia? The grand final is on Sunday 8 November at 4pm WIB, which is 5pm in Malaysia.
How many Indonesian teams qualify for M8? Two. Both MPL ID Season 18 grand finalists earn direct places at the M8 World Championship Main Stage in Istanbul.
Sources: EsportsID, Kontan, Medcom, Viva, Wikipedia