M5 Wild Card: Team SMG and Team Lilgun secured their spots in M5 World Championship

The inaugural M5 Wild Card ended on November 26, 2023, delivering an exciting series of events and a lot of promises for its future. The three-day tournament saw valiant efforts from the eight competing teams to secure their spots in the upcoming M5 World Championship in the Philippines. After a well-contested affair, Team SMG from Malaysia and Team Lilgun from Mongolia emerged triumphant.

From crucial points to individual heroics that helped the teams secure their qualification, this article gives you a brief recap of the crossover matches of the inaugural M5 Wild Card tournament.

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Team SMG and Team Lilgun qualify from the M5 Wild Card this season

Eight professional MLBB teams from various regions arrived in Malaysia for the first-ever M5 Wild Card competition. Divided into two groups, they fought for the two remaining spots at the grandest stage of MLBB esports.

Team SMG and Team Lilgun were dominant in their respective groups, finishing unbeaten. The former, the Group A table-toppers, faced Imperio Esport, Group B’s second-placed team. Meanwhile, Team Lilgun, first in Group B, clashed heads with Nightmare Esports, Group A’s second seed.

The first crossover match at JioSpace Kuala Lumpur was a fierce affair. Despite losing the first two games, Imperio Esports’ Marco “Markinho” Colque fought intensely with his Dyrroth to secure a Maniac in the third game.

Aeliff “Smooth” Ariff’s incredible 5/0/5 KDA on X. Borg in the first match, and Kenneth “Saxa” Fedelin’s indomitable Akai performance in the second game almost faded out, thanks to “Markinho” and his Dyrroth.

However, Team SMG kept their composure in front of the home crowd as they overcame the slip in the fourth game. They outperformed their opponents to secure Lord Buff and eliminated three Imperio members. While they were reviving, Team SMG outnumbered the two remaining Imperio members and progressed down the middle lane to grab a decisive win.

Meanwhile, Team Lilgun asserted themselves in the pro-MLBB scene with a resounding 3-0 victory over Nightmare Esports. In a pivotal moment in the third game, Nightmare Esports lost the Lord buff to their opponents, causing them to retreat to defend their base.

However, Team Lilgun successfully exploited the ensuing chaos to perform a “Wiped Out” (all opponent team members are simultaneously eliminated) before effortlessly charging at a defenseless opponent base to secure their third and decisive win.

While Nightmare Esports displayed resilience in all three of these games and even stretched the third match past the 25-minute mark, it wasn't enough to vanquish the Mongolian team in the M5 World Championship.

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While Team Lilgun arrived as the champions of the Mongolian qualifiers, Team SMG’s previous outings in MPL MY Season 12 left a lot to be desired. However, both teams asserted their authority in the M5 Wild Card to clinch the two spots in the M5 World Championship.