Draw could make or break Nova's World Cup run
KUALA LUMPUR: Newly crowned Malaysia Honour of Kings (HoK) Spring League (MKL) champions Nova Esports are hoping for a favourable draw at the HoK World Cup (KWC) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, next month.
Nova, together with reigning world champions Black Shrew Esports (BSE) and All Gamers Global (AG Global), have qualified for KWC by finishing in the top three during the MKL.
Nova won the Season 3 Invitational in Manila, in March and have been in strong form this season.
They carried that momentum into MKL, finishing second behind BSE in the regular season before going unbeaten in the playoffs. Nova edged BSE 4-3 in a thrilling Grand Final on Sunday (June 8) to clinch the title.
Nova's manager, Noel Leng, said avoiding teams from China, who are the powerhouse nation in the esport, would give them a better chance of going deep at KWC.
KWC is part of the Esports World Cup.
"It depends on the luck of the draw in Riyadh," she said yesterday (June 8).
"For us, we hope not to face Chinese teams early on. That said, we will prepare thoroughly to face any opponent at the KWC."
In the MKL Grand Final, Nova trailed 3-2 after five games with BSE needing just one more win to secure the inaugural league title.
However, Nova dug deep to win the sixth game, forcing a deciding Game Seven, which they went on to win, lifting the trophy and pocketing US$15,100 (RM63,948.50).
Noel added that the team anticipated a tough and drawn-out encounter, especially after their earlier victory over BSE in the upper bracket semi-finals.
"We beat them 3-0 in the upper bracket semis, and we knew they would analyse that loss to try and counter us," said Noel.
"They also defeated AG Global 3-1 in the lower bracket final before facing us again, so they came in with strong momentum.
"We knew that if we could push the series to a seventh game, we would come out on top as we've never lost a Game Seven before."
Nova will now take a short break before resuming preparations for the KWC. A training boot camp in China is being planned before the team travels to the Middle East.
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New Straits Times
13 hours ago
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Draw could make or break Nova's World Cup run
KUALA LUMPUR: Newly crowned Malaysia Honour of Kings (HoK) Spring League (MKL) champions Nova Esports are hoping for a favourable draw at the HoK World Cup (KWC) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, next month. Nova, together with reigning world champions Black Shrew Esports (BSE) and All Gamers Global (AG Global), have qualified for KWC by finishing in the top three during the MKL. Nova won the Season 3 Invitational in Manila, in March and have been in strong form this season. They carried that momentum into MKL, finishing second behind BSE in the regular season before going unbeaten in the playoffs. Nova edged BSE 4-3 in a thrilling Grand Final on Sunday (June 8) to clinch the title. Nova's manager, Noel Leng, said avoiding teams from China, who are the powerhouse nation in the esport, would give them a better chance of going deep at KWC. KWC is part of the Esports World Cup. "It depends on the luck of the draw in Riyadh," she said yesterday (June 8). "For us, we hope not to face Chinese teams early on. That said, we will prepare thoroughly to face any opponent at the KWC." In the MKL Grand Final, Nova trailed 3-2 after five games with BSE needing just one more win to secure the inaugural league title. However, Nova dug deep to win the sixth game, forcing a deciding Game Seven, which they went on to win, lifting the trophy and pocketing US$15,100 (RM63,948.50). Noel added that the team anticipated a tough and drawn-out encounter, especially after their earlier victory over BSE in the upper bracket semi-finals. "We beat them 3-0 in the upper bracket semis, and we knew they would analyse that loss to try and counter us," said Noel. "They also defeated AG Global 3-1 in the lower bracket final before facing us again, so they came in with strong momentum. "We knew that if we could push the series to a seventh game, we would come out on top as we've never lost a Game Seven before." Nova will now take a short break before resuming preparations for the KWC. A training boot camp in China is being planned before the team travels to the Middle East.
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NOVA ESPORTS is the first MY Honor of Kings League champion! The first professional national league was hosted offline for the first time at Sunway Pyramid from 6 - 8 June, where six teams ignited the arena with fiery, neck-to-neck matches, much to the delight of the local crowd. Fiery grand finals showdown The Grand Finals saw Nova Esports clash in a best-of-seven against Black Shrew Esport, and in a surprising turn of events, both teams almost chose the same hero matchups in the Ultimate Battle. In a best-of-seven Match series, the Ultimate Battle will commence if the Match is tied 3-3 after Game 6. Players must choose the same hero and use the challenger spells submitted during Game 7 in a Normal 5v5 mode with no Bans, and coaches are placed under a tight time restriction to choose their hero lineup. In the leadup before the Ultimate Battle, the Global Ban&Pick format was applied to ensure that each hero could only be selected once per match series by each team, with a total of four bans per game. Nova Esports was the mightier squad and came prepared. NOVA. Xuan's skillful use of Dharma landed him the FVMP title, and the team emerged with the final score of 4-3. 'This is a momentous step for us as we mark history as the first local champions,' stated Nicholas 'NOVA. Xuan' Ng, 'This win is dedicated to all of our supporters who have stood steadfast by us, and we hope to make them proud once again at KWC 2025.' Nova Esports and Black Shrew Esport will turn the heat up once again at KWC 2025, along with AG Global. 7GL ignites in-game with new announcer pack Showcased at the MY Honor of Kings League (MKL) Spring 2025 Playoffs, 7GL made a special appearance and featured the first-ever Announcer Pack for HOK Malaysia, where fans can acquire system announcer voice lines that are fully adapted to 7GL, including the Double Kill, Legendary, and Victory announcements, as well as many more that will be announced during pivotal match points. The Announcer Pack features Soloz, Makdi, Ombong, Feekz, and Peak, who've tested out their polished gameplay during their journey as a guest caster at MKL. The pack also perfectly complements the previous 7GL Voice Pack, which was released back in May 2025. Check out the following details to claim your free Announcer Pack today: – Complete one match in Honor of Kings Malaysia to receive the full Announcer Pack by 7GL. – The 7GL announcer pack will be available on 9 June, and local players can redeem it until 19 June. – Compete alongside Malaysia's esports and gaming superstars, and let them guide you in your matches! Supported by the Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS), Rakan Muda as the Official Strategic Partner, realme as the Official Gaming Phone Partner, and Sunway Pyramid as the Official Venue Partner, the MY HOK League Spring 2025 brings together passionate esports talents to awaken their potential.
