Undefeated from start to finish.
Todak has made history by being the first team in MPL MY/SG to perfect run the regular season and the playoffs. They did not drop a single match in Season 6, from Week 1 all the way to the grand final.
“The biggest surprise was the entire season. We did not think we would win any game, but we won every single game and we managed to get the championship,” Xray said in the post-game press conference.
After sweeping Red Reborn in the first match, Todak took down EVOS SG in the semifinals 2-1. As EVOS climbed back up the lower bracket, these two juggernauts met again in the Grand Final rematch.
Looking at the stats of these two teams in the playoffs, they were evenly matched. With high average kills per game and high team damage per minute, it’s not surprising that it was an intense series with good highlights.
Game one
EVOS SG were confident going into the first game. They managed to get power picks Selena, Esmeralda, and Chou. Soul on Esmeralda in the side lane knew his limits, and kept 4Meyz occupied as his team rotated around mid and top lane, asserting pressure in the early game.
Potato on a recently buffed Granger even got a solo kill onto Xray’s Uranus. Right after, JPL pulled off a sick kick onto Moon’s Kadita for the deadly catch.
Leading by more than 8,000 gold, it was all on EVOS SG to close this one out. They already downed six towers to zero, and claimed the first Lord. However during the mid game, things came crashing down.
EVOS SG were split 2-1-1 as they attempted to break Todak’s base. In a long exchange that lasted for more than a minute, Todak caught out EVOS SG for three kills.
Todak gained momentum, and decreased the gold difference. As the second Lord spawned, Todak was incredibly disciplined and coordinated. They waited, positioned carefully, and stole Lord at the very last second from their opponents.
One by one, EVOS SG fell in that deciding team fight. Potato’s Granger alone could not defend the base, so with that, Todak made a massive comeback to win the game with a deficit.
Game two
It was a very tight game between these two teams in game two. They were even in gold, and almost even in kills. More than twenty minutes in, it was a standstill as both teams traded blood and objectives across the map.
The one thing Todak had going better for them is that they downed more towers on the map compared to EVOS SG, and had a push advantage.
As Pokemons’ Esmeralda worked the side lane, Todak very quickly pulled back to outnumber him. EVOS SG were steps behind. Their reactive play costed them another life. Securing Lord without contest, Todak ploughed through EVOS SG’s base for a second straight late game win.
Game three
With backs against the wall, EVOS SG drafted something different in game three. They opted to build around Harith, and picked Masha for Pokemon in the side lane, who traded blows favorably against 4Meyz’s Yu Zhong in the early game.
Both teams were pretty much even in kills, gold, and turrets — until 12 minutes in when EVOS SG punished Todak for over chasing down mid lane. Pokemon’s Masha came out big on the flank, giving his team three kills.
As no one could match Masha in the side lane, EVOS SG sent Pokemon to solo push at bot. Daringly, they collapsed 4v5 onto Todak at top. Even though it looked as if Ciku’s Lancelot would be able to turn around the fight, EVOS SG surrounded him, cutting him off from his team for two kills.
Knowing that EVOS SG were looking to down the second Lord, Todak chose to brawl with them at the near choke point. Though they managed to lower their health bars, keep your eye on Potato’s Harith. He was behind enemy lines, jumping around, completely untouched, carrying EVOS SG to victory.
Game four
Going with the pieces that helped them stay in the series, EVOS SG put Pokemon on Masha again. Their carry, Potato, picked Roger, and was making quick work in the early game, taking all three of EVOS SG’s kills.
Playing around Ciku’s Helcurt, Todak saw an opportunity to strike. Surprising JPL’s Jawhead, they took him down before backup arrived. Their next target was EVOS SG’s carry, Roger. The more EVOS SG grouped to try to assist each other, the more kills Todak gained.
Eliminating four, Todak freely secured Lord and pushed into EVOS SG’s base for their first ever championship win.
With a perfect 9-0 record in the regular season, and a perfect Upper Bracket run in the playoffs, Todak makes MPL MY/SG history.
As seen in the grand finals, it was not a smooth sailing ride, even in the regular season. “During the regular season, our toughest opponent was Red Reborn. They can surprise us with a hyper carry meta or double core meta, which was unconventional at that time, but was able to counter what Todak was trying to do,” said Ciku.
Todak distinguished themselves from other MPL MY/SG teams with their insane levels of chemistry. During the post-game press conference, the team shared that even during massive team fights, they do not need to communicate much, and instinctively know what each other are doing.
“Throughout our journey, everything we do, we do together. We eat together, we live together, we sleep together,” said Xray.
Their star carry player, Ciku, was awarded the playoffs MVP. On assassins and marksmen, he’s amassed a reel of clutch highlight plays throughout the season.
Article courtesy of ONE Esports. Original article can be found here