One of the most prestigious Mobile Legends: Bang Bang esports events, the M3 World Championship is set for a grand commencement on 6th Dec 2021. The event will feature 16 top-tier teams from around the world competing for the lion’s share of the $800,000 USD prize pool and the title of world champions. The stakes are high this time around since there will be more regions participating in the event. The tournament will also be accepting live audiences, albeit with a few limitations to ensure the safety of everyone at the venue.
During the previous M2 World Championship, we saw the Philippines team Bren Esports taking the championship title with a scintillating 4-3 victory in the Grand Finals against the Burmese team, Burmese Ghouls. It was one of the exhilarating moments for the Philippines region as it finally acquired its first world championship title.
However, a lot has changed since the conclusion of the M2 World Championship. New regions have emerged as contenders for the upcoming esports event. With the pool of participants being far more diverse, the M3 World Championship aims to be the start of a much larger scale esports event for the mobile MOBA title.
To welcome the upcoming M3 World Championship, we’ve thrown together a power ranking list based on each team’s recent performance and achievements.
Who possesses the most potential to take the championship title at the M3 World Championship?
16. GX Squad (Middle East)
The MENA (Middle-East and North Africa) region joins the competition with its representative team, GX Squad. Not much is known about the team other than them dominating the M3 Arabia Major, the regional qualifiers for the M3 World Championship in the region.
This may be the first major esports event for the Middle Eastern team. However, they possess quite the advantage as not much is known about how the GX Squad executes its strategy and meta. It will be interesting to see how well they fare against other teams in the tournament
15. Bedel (Turkey)
Much like GX Squad, Bedel is also one of the fresh new contenders in the international esports scene of Mobile Legends. The team booked its ticket to the M3 World Championship through the Mobile Legends Turkey Championship 2021.
The team is able to pull off popular strategies focusing on heroes such as Popol and Kupa, something that Blacklist International can pull off as well. This makes them an interesting team to look out for in the tournament but.
14. Malvinas Gaming
Malvinas Gaming took the LATAM (Latin America) Championship 2021 by storm. The team won the championship title and its ticket to the M3 World Championship. Its tactics are reminiscent of Nexplay Esports during the Mobile Legends Professional League (MPL) Philippines (PH) Season 7 through its unorthodox strategies and surprise mechanics. The question of whether they are ready to face the SEA (South East Asian) teams will be answered soon at the world championship event.
13. Red Canids
This team defeated the powerhouse of Brazil, Keys Stars during the MPL BR Season 1. Red Canids also boasts substantial experience in using team comps with a focus on having the healer hero Estes. The team is highly aggressive in its playstyle and will not hesitate to take risks for greater gain. Will this strategy work in their favor against the top-tier teams in other regions? We’ll soon find out.
12. BloodThirstyKings (BTK)
The new kings of North America (NA) booked their tickets to the M3 World Championship. BTK shocked its fans after taking down the fan-favorite Team Gosu in the M3 NA Qualifiers 2021.
The team has been playing competitively in its own region for quite some time but this will be its first time setting foot in a major Mobile Legends esports event. BTK is definitely one of the most interesting underdogs to follow in the upcoming international esports event.
11. Keyd Stars
The team was formerly called DreamMax Esports, when it participated in the M2 World Championship. However, it did not perform well in the tournament and got eliminated on the first day. Nonetheless, they do have experience competing against teams from other regions. It will be interesting to see if they can impress its fans this time around.
10. NAVI
One of the biggest esports organizations in the world has acquired the team roster of the Russian team Deus Vult, the team that participated in both the M1 and M2 World Championship. Just like DreamMax Esports, the team also made an early exit in the previous international esports event. It will be interesting to see how much the team has improved under its new organization.
9. SeeYouSoon
One of the potential underdogs in the M3 World Championship. The team earned its ticket to the international esports event by winning the MPL Cambodia (KH) Season 1. The fact that they managed to take down Todak, a veteran team from Malaysia, means that they are capable of competing against the SEA teams. SeeYouSoon is definitely one of the teams to look out for in the upcoming M3 World Championship.
8. EVOS SG
The back-to-back champions of MPL Singapore (SG). Despite being the powerhouse of its region, EVOS SG struggles to compete against teams outside its territory. However, with the addition of former ALMIGHTY member, Adam "Adammir" Chong, the team may surprise its fans in the upcoming tournament.
7. RSG SG
The team is composed of veteran players who have a considerable amount of experience in competing internationally. It may be the second-best team in Singapore but RSG SG can definitely hold its ground against the toughest teams from other regions.
6. Team SMG
The team that used to struggle in the Mobile Legends esports scene in Malaysia is now the king of its region. With the acquisition of former RRQ Hoshi head coach, James “Jamesss” Chen, the team managed to win the MPL MY Season 8, booking its ticket to the M3 World Championship. It will be interesting to see if Team SMG will be able to take their local championship title to the next level.
5. Todak
The Malaysian team has participated in all international Mobile Legends esports events. Despite being considered a fan favorite, the team is quite inconsistent in its esports journey. The team won the MPL Malaysia (MY) Season 6 with a perfect record. However, the team had a lackluster performance during the M2 World Championship. Despite this predicament, Todak is brimming with pro players who have a proven track record to solidify their veteran status.
4. RRQ Hoshi
The team continues to be one of the most popular Indonesian teams to this day. Despite the absence of Muhammad "Lemon" Ikhsan, the pro player who was praised for his mechanical skills, the team is still a force to be reckoned with. With the veteran player Albert "Alberttt" Neilsen Iskandar on its side, RRQ Hoshi will stop at nothing to clutch the title of world champion.
3. ONIC PH
The team is famous for its “Banana Split” strategy. ONIC PH is the first runner-up of the MPL PH Season 8, and with good reason. The team built its own meta with its highly aggressive split pushing tactics that pressured enemies to either surrender objectives or sacrifice lanes turrets.
With the return of Allen "Baloyskie" Baloy and the top-performing pro players Kairi "Kairi" Rayosdelsol and Mark "Markyyyy" Capacio, ONIC PH may just have the chance to take the title of world champions.
2. Blacklist International
The local champions of MPL PH Season 8 and one of the meta-defining teams of this year. Blacklist International’s Ultimate Bonding Experience (UBE) strategy is near unstoppable. So far, only a few teams were able to crack the code behind its relentless tactic. It will be interesting to see if more teams find a weak spot in Blacklist International, who rarely bows down to any opponents.
1. ONIC Esports
This team takes the top spot due to its impressive performance during the MPL Invitational (MPLI) 2021. ONIC Esports’ team chemistry is second to none and it even managed to take down the unstoppable Blacklist International. If ONIC Esports pulls it off and takes the title of world champions, it will be the first to achieve three major titles for MPL ID, MPLI 2021, and the M3 World Championship, in just one year.
This year’s international esports event for Mobile Legends, the M3 World Championship shall most definitely be a sight to behold, considering that there will be more regions participating this year as opposed to its earlier iterations. It will be interesting to see who will take home the title of world champions in the upcoming M3 World Championship.
