ECHO was declared the winner of the M4 World Championship after dominating the Grand Finals with a final score of 4-0 against Blacklist International.

Check out our M4 Schedule for the full results! 

This extraordinary victory allowed them to claim the title of Back-to-Back Champions and for Jungler, KarlTzy to become the only player to win the world title twice with different teams. He previously led the Bren Esports team to victory at the M2 World Championship.

Additionally, ECHO’s Gold Laner Bennyqt was named Finals MVP for his outstanding performance and contribution to the team. This victory also highlighted that the M Series champion has consistently come from the lower bracket phase, as ECHO was able to defeat Blacklist International in the Grand Finals after losing to them in the previous round.

As the winners, ECHO received a prize pool of US$300,000 and Blacklist International, as runners-up, received US$120,000.

Blacklist International vs. ECHO

Game 1

In the opening match of the M4 World Championship Grand Final, both teams were cautious in selecting their hero lineup. Blacklist International chose Barats for Wise as their priority pick, while the other four players were Harith for Oheb, Pharsa for Hadji, Benedetta for Edward, and Mathilda for OhMyV33NUS. ECHO, on the other hand, countered with Lapu Lapu for Sanford, Yve for Sanji, Akai for KarlTzy, Lolita for Yawi and Lunox for Bennyqt. The match began fiercely as both teams were careful not to make any mistakes and to anticipate each other’s moves.

Wise managed to secure the first Turtle but was quickly taken down by ECHO Philippines. From that moment on, ECHO played more aggressively and always kept an eye on Wise. Sanford succeeded in overthrowing the Jungler from Blacklist International and KarlTzy easily captured the turtle objective. ECHO then began to use a fast game tempo, and Blacklist International players started to fall one by one as they were losing in terms of gold.

ECHO continued to attack relentlessly, limiting Blacklist International’s space for movement and making it difficult for Wise to jungle. With the help of the second Lord, ECHO successfully kidnapped opposing players and destroyed Blacklist International’s main base. KarlTzy and his team closed the first match with a win.

Game 2

In the second match, it was ECHO’s KarlTzy’s turn to show off his prowess on Barats. This pick was partnered with Pharsa for Sanji, Gloo for Sanford, Brody for Bennyqt, and Franco for Yawi. Blacklist International selected Fredrinn for Wise, Valentina for Hadji, Lolita for OhMyV33NUS, Joy for Edward, and Beatrix as the mainstay hero from Oheb.

ECHO immediately began playing aggressively at the start of the match and managed to control all objectives. They captured two Turtles, and even before the third turtle, they focused on taking down Wise so as not to disrupt their plans for the next few seconds. By the 10th minute, ECHO had killed four opposing players, with only Edward remaining. Bennyqt was in the spotlight because of his excellent positioning.

The climax occurred during the struggle for the second Lord, where Wise was able to secure it when he collided with KarlTzy in retribution. At the same time, the Blacklist International players were caught up in the teamfight and didn’t realize that Bennyqt was backdooring from the middle. As a result, ECHO secured victory at the 14th minute.

Game 3

The third match saw ECHO draft Fredrinn for KarlTzy, Lapu Lapu for Sanford, Kaja for Yawi, Gusion for Sanji, and Brody for Bennyqt. Meanwhile, Blacklist decided to pick Karrie for Oheb, Pharsa for Hadji, Lolita for OhMyV33NUS, Baxia for Wise, and Yu Zhong for Edwards.

Interestingly, it was the first time the hero Gusion appeared in the M4 World Championship. Despite not being a meta hero, playing Sanji with this hero proved to be brilliant. Sanji almost got a Triple Kill in the 4th minute, allowing ECHO to easily capture the second turtle. Despite falling behind, Blacklist International managed to balance the match with ECHO.

To avoid being careless, the deadly duo of Yawi and Bennyqt succeeded in overthrowing Oheb and the other three players, leaving only OhMyV33NUS. ECHO decided to capture the first Lord objective. The same thing happened when KarlTzy was able to win over his second Lord with the help of retribution. Poor positioning caused Blacklist International players to fall one by one, leaving only Oheb.

Without waiting for the Lord to arrive, ECHO immediately launched an attack on Blacklist International’s main base from the bottom lane. As a result, they secured their third victory, bringing the series to match point in favour of ECHO.

Game 4

The fourth match was a crucial one for Blacklist, as it was their last chance to open opportunities and keep the match alive. In this match, they were not able to use their flagship hero Estes and instead secured Yve for Hadji, Barats for Wise, Diggie for OhMyV33NUS, Beatrix for Oheb, and Benedetta for Edward. ECHO, on the other hand, chose the hero lineup of Gloo for Sanford, Fredrinn for KarlTzy, Hilda for Yawi, Lunox for Bennyqt, and Xavier for Sanji.

At the start of the match, Sanford immediately disrupted Blacklist’s defence and took down Wise and Hadji. This was a significant loss for Blacklist International as Wise and Hadji play important roles in the team. After this, Blacklist played more cautiously and Diggie, who was expected to be a threat to ECHO, failed to do so. ECHO often baited Blacklist International before securing objectives in the Land of Dawn, allowing them to easily capture the Lord and Turtle. Even when the second Lord appeared, ECHO was able to secure it quickly. Blacklist International’s EXP Laner Edward was unable to do much and only attempted to destroy ECHO’s turrets one by one.

By the 14th minute, the gold difference between the two teams had reached 7,000, giving ECHO Philippines an advantage in the match. When the third Lord appeared, Blacklist International, who were trying to hold their ground, made a mistake that led to their defeat, leaving only Oheb alive.

Unable to withstand ECHO’s strong attack, Blacklist International had to give up their last chance and ECHO  managed to break Blacklist’s back-to-back champion streak and closed the M4 World Championship with a landslide victory of 4-0.