MPL Indonesia Season 15 Week 1: Terrible start for ONIC and Natus Vincere
MPL Indonesia Season 15 kicked off with a terrible opening week for ONIC and a perfect start for RRQ Hoshi .
The Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League (MPL) Indonesia Season 15 shocked fans in just its first week as ONIC got off to a horrid 0-2 start. The former dominant force in the league lost to RRQ Hoshi in their first outing and then to the revamped Alter Ego Esports under Kenny “Xepher” Deo. This marks the first time that ONIC failed to get a win in the first week of the league since their debut in Season 2, with the team now sitting at the bottom of the standings.
On the other side of the table, RRQ Hoshi cruised to the top after dismantling both their opponents for the week. They defeated both Natus Vincere and ONIC 2-0 to secure pole position heading into Week 2 of MPL Indonesia Season 15. The King of Kings looked unstoppable with their new lineup, even after losing Schevenko David “Skylar” Tendean.
Here are the MPL Indonesia Season 15 Regular Season standings at the end of Week 1:
RRQ Hoshi (2-0) +4 Game difference (GF)
EVOS (2-0) +3 GF
Dewa United Esports (1-0) +1 GF
Bigetron Esports (1-1) +1 GF
Team Liquid ID (1-1) 0 GF
Alter Ego Esports (1-1) -1 GF
Geek Fam ID (0-1) -2 GF
Natus Vincere (0-2) -3 GF
ONIC (0-2) -4 GF
The resurrection of the old guard
The two teams that dominated the first week of MPL Indonesia Season 15 were notably the grand finalists of the M1 World Championship, RRQ Hoshi and EVOS. The old guards of Indonesian MLBB won both of their matches, with EVOS winning against last season's champion, Team Liquid ID, and RRQ Hoshi defeating another favourite in ONIC.
RRQ Hoshi , perhaps, is the better of the two, as they didn't drop a single game in either of their matches. Muhammad “TOYy” Rizky filled the shoes vacated by Skylar perfectly, with his Irithel and Granger being the crucial pieces in the win against ONIC. His duet with Said Ali “idok” Ridho took over the series like a storm and could be a vital key for their team's campaign to the MLBB Mid Season Cup (MSC) 2025.
Meanwhile, EVOS' roster was initially doubted, even with the addition of former MSC runner-up and multiple-time MPL Indonesia winner Albert Neilsen “ALBERTTT” Iskandar and former Bigetron roamer Hengky “Kyy” Gunawan. However, they instantly erased that doubt with a 2-1 win over Team Liquid ID in the first day of Week 1. They further backed it up with a dominant win against Geek Fam, ensuring that losing Muhammad "Depezett" Shihab and Adriansyah “Claw Kun” Lesmana did not affect their level of competition.
ONIC's chances for revival
While ONIC's start to the season isn't something they would want to remember, there is still a chance for them to recover. In the second week of MPL Indonesia Season 15, they will only play one match against Geek Fam ID during the week's first match. This will be a perfect chance for them to regain momentum and ease their way to the third week, as a win against Geek Fam should boost their confidence ahead of a meeting against Bigetron Esports, which marks the return of Moch “Lutpiii” Ardianto and Clayton “Savero” Kuswanto.
While there has been no official statement from ONIC regarding the status of Lutpii and Savero, reports have been circulating that both players were suspended after participating in Liga Nasional Indonesia despite already being registered for the MLBB Development League Indonesia Season 8. League rules state that players registered for official MOONTON Games-hosted tournaments can't participate in a third-party event while the former is still ongoing.
MPL Indonesia Season 15 will continue with Week 2 on 14 March. ONIC and Geek Fam ID 's confrontation will open the week while Alter Ego and Dewa United Esports will be the last match of the week.
