CCE Mobile Legends Season 1 ready for take off

The long wait is over as the first season of the Collegiate Center for Esports (CCE) finally kicks off on July 4 with a loaded five-game bill featuring a new wave of student-athletes from various colleges and universities.

Led by Varsity Cup champion Lyceum of the Philippines University, ten teams dive into action starting at 1 p.m. in a bid to draw first blood and gain early footing in the first regular season of CCE as the country’s newest collegiate esports league.

LPU faces an early test against rival Mapua University in the main game, looming as an explosive rematch of the CCE Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Varsity Cup (MVC) finals last year.

Remarch Eusebio, Ralph Joshua Araz, Paul Adrienne Huang, Mark Kenneth Delos Reyes, Alfonso Clemence Sales and Marc Joseph Balcita have been tasked to carry the fight for the Pirates, who are out to assert mastery of the Cardinals after a 4-2 series win in in the Varsity Cup last November.

Before the epic “Battle of Intramuros,” Emilio Aguinaldo College plays San Beda University, Varsity Cup third-placer Letran battles Arellano U, College of St. Benilde clashes with Jose Rizal U while San Sebastian College-Recoletos duels against University of Perpetual Help System Dalta to complete the hectic five-match CCE opener.

All 10 teams will figure in a single-round robin eliminations with the top eight squads booking their slots in the playoffs. The two bottom teams get the boot as all games will be broadcasted on the CCE’s official Facebook page.

Like the esports pro circuit, the CCE post-season will have two routes to the championship with the first four winners in the quarterfinals advancing straight to the upper bracket.

The four losers still sport title chances, albeit in the lower bracket.

The upper bracket winner then moves on to the best-of-seven grand finals against whoever survives the loser’s bracket for the prestigious Season 1 title of CCE with Galaxy Racer as its official Esports partner.

CCE, led by commissioner Waiyip Chong and president Stanley Lao, recently backed the historic Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Friendship Games last week as a prelude to its much-awaited opener starring 10 of the country’s established and respected school institutions.

Ateneo ruled the said tourney participated by 15 colleges and universities in celebration of CHED’s 28th founding anniversary as the country’s institution for tertiary education.