# MSC 2023

The 2023 Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Southeast Asia Cup, commonly referred as MSC 2023, was the sixth edition of the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Mid Season Cup, the annual international esports tournament for the mobile game Mobile Legends: Bang Bang organized by Moonton.
MSC 2023 oversaw an increase of team representation from different regions of the World including North America, Turkey and MENA. The qualification for MSC 2023 happened during the spring-split of the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League (MPL) seasons, Moonton approved Regional tournaments and qualifier tournaments before the main tournament. MLBB powerhouses of the Philippines and Indonesia qualified its champion and first runner-up teams, while the remaining regions qualified the champions of their respective region. However, with the lack of compliance as per the MLBB Rulebook for MSC 2023, North American Champions of NACT 2023 Spring BloodThirstyKings were disqualified from the tournament. In replacement, first runner up team Outplay will be representing the region.
The hashtag "#SEATheWorld" was used as the official hashtag during the eight-day tournament.
Blacklist International and ONIC would once again face in a grand finals matchup. The most recent matchup in the grand finals for both teams was during MPLI 2021 where ONIC defeated Blacklist in four games. After being withheld of an international title since 2019, Indonesia won its first international title with ONIC winning their second MSC title. They defeated Blacklist International in six games, ending the dominance of the Philippines over the discipline temporarily.

## Background

On 14 March 2023, Moonton announced their partnership with the Esports Federation of Cambodia (EFC) to "co-promote the growth of the local esports industry and enhance the competitive gaming landscape of the country." Hence, declaring Cambodia to be the host for MSC 2023. The announcement of Cambodia's hosting for MSC 2023 was also announced during the MLBB M4 World Championship.

## Tournament format
### Group stage

The Group Draw results were announced in Social Media via Facebook, Instagram and Twitter of Mobile Legends Esports. Among the twelve participating teams, every group will be drawn a designated champion from the regions of the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Myanmar, and the remaining teams will be drawn evenly. Each group will undergo a single round-robin tournament with matches being a best-of-three format.
The top two teams of each group will advance to a bracket draw for the playoffs and the third-seeded team of each group will be eliminated.

### Knockout Stage

Unlike the previous iteration of the tournament, MSC 2023 will have a single-elimination bracket with games, and Knockout Stage matches will be best-of-five formats. Teams that lost in the Semifinals will proceed to the third-place match. The Grand Final is scheduled for 18 June 2023 with a best-of-seven series.

## Participating teams

MSC 2023 expanded its regional qualifications, qualifying teams from Turkey, North America, and MENA in the process.
| Region | League | Qualification Method | Team | Group |
| The Philippines | MPL Philippines | MPL Philippines Season 11 Champion | ECHO Philippines | A |
| The Philippines | MPL Philippines | MPL Philippines Season 11 First Runner-Up | Blacklist International | D |
| Indonesia | MPL Indonesia | MPL Indonesia Season 11 Champion | ONIC Esports | C |
| Indonesia | MPL Indonesia | MPL Indonesia Season 11 First Runner-Up | EVOS Legends | B |
| Malaysia | MPL Malaysia | MPL Malaysia Season 11 Champion | TODAK | D |
| Myanmar | MSC 2023: Myanmar Qualifier | MSC 2023: Myanmar Qualifier Champion | Fenix Esports | B |
| Singapore | MPL Singapore | MPL Singapore Season 5 Champion | RSG Slate Singapore | B |
| Cambodia | MPL Cambodia | MPL Cambodia Spring 2023 Champion | BURN X FLASH | C |
| Mekong Region | MSC 2023: Mekong Qualifier | MSC 2023: Mekong Qualifier Champion | Team EVO | A |
| North America | North America Challenger Tournament | North America Challenger Tournament Spring 2023 Champion | BloodThirstyKings | Disqualified |
| North America | North America Challenger Tournament | North America Challenger Tournament Spring 2023 First Runner-Up | Outplay | C |
| Turkey | MLBB Türkiye Championship | MLBB Türkiye Championship Season 1 Champion | Fire Flux Impunity | A |
| Middle East and North Africa | MPL MENA | MPL MENA Spring 2023 Champion | Team Occupy | D |

### Group draw results

| Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D |
| ECHO Philippines | Fenix Esports | ONIC Esports | TODAK |
| Fire Flux Impunity | RSG Slate Singapore | Outplay | Blacklist International |
| Team EVO | EVOS Legends | BURN X FLASH | Team Occupy |

## Group stage
### Group A

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | ECHO | FIMP | EVO |
| 1 | ECHO Philippines | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 2 | Qualified for the Knockout Stage | — | 2–1 | 2–0 |
| 2 | Fire Flux Impunity | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 1 | Qualified for the Knockout Stage | 1–2 | — | 2–0 |
| 3 | Team EVO | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | −4 | 0 | Eliminated | 0–2 | 0–2 | — |

### Group B

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | RSG | EVOS | FNX |
| 1 | RSG Slate Singapore | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | +4 | 2 | Qualified for the Knockout Stage | — | 2–0 | 2–0 |
| 2 | EVOS Legends | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 1 | Qualified for the Knockout Stage | 0–2 | — | 2–0 |
| 3 | Fenix Esports | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | −3 | 0 | Eliminated | 0–2 | 1–2 | — |

### Group C

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | ONIC | BXF | OP |
| 1 | ONIC Esports | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | +4 | 2 | Qualified for the Knockout Stage | — | 2–0 | 2–0 |
| 2 | BURN X FLASH | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | Qualified for the Knockout Stage | 0–2 | — | 2–0 |
| 3 | Outplay | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | −4 | 0 | Eliminated | 0–2 | 0–2 | — |

### Group D

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | BLCK | TDK | OPY |
| 1 | Blacklist International | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 2 | Qualified for the Knockout Stage | — | 2–1 | 2–0 |
| 2 | TODAK | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 1 | Qualified for the Knockout Stage | 1–2 | — | 2–0 |
| 3 | Team Occupy | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | −4 | 0 | Eliminated | 0–2 | 0–2 | — |

## Playoffs

All matches are a best-of-five series, except for the Grand Final, which is a best-of-seven series.
| Quarterfinals (Bo5) | Quarterfinals (Bo5) | Semifinals (Bo5) | Semifinals (Bo5) | Grand Final (Bo7) | Grand Final (Bo7) |
| RSG Slate Singapore | 0 | | | | |
| BURN X FLASH | 3 | | | | |
| BURN X FLASH | 3 | BURN X FLASH | 1 | | |
| | | Blacklist International | 3 | | |
| Blacklist International | 3 | Blacklist International | 3 | | |
| Fire Flux Impunity | 0 | | | | |
| Fire Flux Impunity | 0 | | | Blacklist International | 2 |
| | | | | ONIC | 4 |
| ECHO Philippines | 3 | | | | | ONIC | 4 |
| TODAK | 1 | | |
| TODAK | 1 | ECHO Philippines | 0 | Third Place Match (Bo5) | Third Place Match (Bo5) |
| | | ONIC | 3 |
| ONIC | 3 | ONIC | 3 | BURN X FLASH | 2 |
| EVOS Legends | 0 | | | ECHO Philippines | 3 |