Blacklist International, Elevate enter Honor of Kings Invitational Season 3 playoffs

February 25, 2025 | 9:08am

MANILA, Philippines — Local bets Blacklist International and Elevate have advanced to the playoffs of the Honor of Kings Invitational Season 3 currently ongoing at The Block Atrium at SM North Edsa in Quezon City.

Both teams were seeded in Group A of the first global tournament for Honor of Kings for the year, assuring at least one Filipino squad advancing to the next round.

Elevated opened its campaign with a big win over MENA bet Gen.G after a back-and-forth game ended with a crucial play from the former’s Miguel “Mitsura” Gavin, who managed a crucial Tempest Dragon steal, earning him the achievement "Dragon Slayer".

The Filipino squad’s momentum, however, was short-lived as Elevate faced reigning Philippine champions Blacklist International, which showcased its dominance in the Hero's Gorge by taking the first game in under nine minutes. Though Elevate managed to fight back, taking a game from the local champion, Blacklist International eventually overpowered its foe, 3-1, to start its campaign on a high note.

In the last match of Group A, Blacklist International easily dispatched Gen.G, 3-0, to send both Filipino teams to the playoffs.

The last Filipino team, Rough World Era, managed to take a game against South Korea's Nongshim RedForce and Indonesia's Bigetron Sigma. But it succumbed to both teams 1-3, to end the group stages with a 0-2 standing.

The playoffs will begin at 2 p.m. on February 26 at the same venue, with Blacklist International up against Wildcard winners Impunity Esports of Myanmar, followed by Elevate against South Korea's Nongshim RedForce.