Mobile Legends Professional League Philippines Season 12 champion AP Bren emerged victorious in its highly-anticipated rematch with Burmese Ghouls in the opener of the M5 World Championship over the weekend at the EVM Convention Center in Quezon City.

AP Bren, former Bren Esports, shares a history with the Myanmar representative as they clashed in the finals stage of M2 World Championship in 2021.

The Filipinos emerged victorious, 4-3.

AP Bren, now composed of familiar and fresh faces in Angelo Kyle "Pheww" Arcangel, David Charles "Flap" Canon, Kyle "KyleTzy" Sayson, Rowgien "Owgwen" Unigo, Marco "Super Marco" Requitano, and Vincent "Pandora" Unigo, showcased that the new lineup remains superior over Burmese Ghouls by trampling their visiting foes via 2-0 sweep.

"I think they were just nervous, especially in Game 1. In Game 2 you could see they have stepped up a lot," said AP Bren team captain Pheww, citing how they beat their opponents in 13 minutes in the opening game before playing them for 26 minutes in Game 2.

AP Bren coach Francis "Ducky" Glindro, meanwhile, relished every moment of his team in their first game of the Group Stage. It is his first time competing at an M-Series tournament since M2, and Ducky plans to leave no stone unturned in his quest to become a world champion once more.

"It is quite a nostalgic feeling to actually be back on the world stage. I am really happy that we are back on the world stage. I hope this time we clinch it again and go the distance. We are prepared to meet anyone on the stage," Ducky said.

"I think we will just play our game from now on. There are no specific preparations for Team Flash or any team at all. We are more focused on the team and the things we can improve on from what we saw versus Burmese Ghouls. It is about flexibility moving forward."