TODAK Legion has clinched the crown of the first Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Academy League Malaysia (MAL MY). The team emerged victorious after defeating HomeBois Syndicate in a convincing 4-1 Grand Finals held at Sunway Velocity Mall. Hundreds of fans witnessed TODAK Legion’s triumph, which secured them the lion’s share of the US$20,000 prize pool.

Launched this year by MOONTON Games and IO Esports, MAL MY serves as the developmental tier of the Malaysian Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) esports league system, complementing the MLBB Professional League (MPL) Malaysia. The league aims to nurture young esports talent in Malaysia, providing a structured pathway into professional gaming and gearing up the nation to host the M6 World Championship in December.

TODAK Dominance

TODAK Legion started strong in the Best-of-Seven (BO7) series, taking an early 2-0 lead. The first game was tightly contested until Muhamad “Rival” Alif Akmal’s pivotal Mega Kill at the 15-minute mark secured the win. The second game was a one-sided affair with TODAK Legion maintaining control and ending with a 10k gold lead.

HomeBois Syndicate rallied in the third game, catching TODAK Legion off guard. However, TODAK Legion came back fiercely to win the next two games, sealing their championship victory.

“We’re grateful to be the first champions of MAL MY, despite not being the favourites. Our success is due to our experience and dedication to developing talent from our academy,” said Roslan Rashid, TODAK’s Chief Operating Officer.

Barracuda Retain MPL Spot

In another thrilling match, Barracuda Esports retained their MPL Malaysia position by reverse sweeping DXORIGINZ 3-2 in the “Challenger vs Defender” match. Despite a poor performance in MPL Malaysia Season 13 and a shaky start in the Best-of-Five (BO5) series, Barracuda Esports showed resilience, winning the last three games to edge out DXORIGINZ.

Norshahidah “Capt Sha” Zulkifli, Owner of Barracuda Esports, expressed her gratitude, stating, “We’re extremely grateful to keep our spot for next season. We’re continually learning and improving our gameplay. Stay tuned for our best play next season.”

Devin Chan, Esports Manager at MOONTON Games, highlighted the success of MAL MY in developing Malaysia’s esports talent.

“Our objective for MAL MY is to build the esports talent pipeline in Malaysia by giving young and talented players a more structured and competitive entry into the world of professional esports. We have comfortably achieved this and more. In fact, we are currently witnessing a Renaissance for national esports. With the M6 World Championship in November rapidly approaching, we are confident that our ecosystem is more ready than ever to challenge for honours, especially now that we have a strong foundation in MAL MY.”