On Wednesday, 19 July 2023, the highly anticipated group stage match between Todak and Onic Esports at the ESL Snapdragon Pro Series Challenge Finals Season 3 SEA ended as a surprise. TODAK decided to withdraw, and ONIC was deemed to have won with a score of 2-0. This decision was taken after a player on the TODAK team had been ill since the previous day, unable to continue the match.
Some of Todak’s players apparently became unwell two days ago, and their health did not improve until the next day. To protect their players’ health and safety, Todak chose to withdraw from the group stage match against Onic. Furthermore, a report claimed that their players have been receiving treatment in a hospital around South Jakarta, near the group stage venue.
It was definitely disappointing, given that the match between Todak and Onic was one of the most anticipated games on day three. However, considering their overall results in the group stage and their condition, it was the right call from them to prevent the team from further health issues, considering they will be participating in the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Pro League Malaysia Season 12 in the upcoming August.
Despite being touted as one of the powerhouses at the tournament, Todak surprisingly failed to win a single game, going down with 0-5 in Group B, which comprised AP.Bren, Onic Esports, Bigetron Alpha, Aura Fire, Evos Legends, and Todak themselves. It should be noted, however, that their declining performance might be related to the aforementioned problem, as Todak players were reportedly dealing with the issues since the opening day of their group stage games in Jakarta.
The playoffs will start tomorrow at Istora Senayan, Central Jakarta, which was also the venue of the fourth series of the MLBB World Championship in January. The remaining six teams will compete for the prize pool of $150,000 and a ticket to the global league, which is likely to be introduced later this year. With Echo Philippines and Onic Esports still in the competition, people are expecting them to lock horns once again after their dramatic battle at MSC 2023 in Cambodia last month.
