Blacklist International CEO Comments on Team Not Being Included in M5 Trailer

One of the recent controversial topics in the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang community is the M5 World Championship trailer that was unveiled during the group draw livestream on 4th November 2023. The video gave viewers a glimpse of the M-Series and its crowned champions, iconic moments, and players. However, viewers observed that the M3 World Champion Blacklist International was not included in the video which sparked curiosity among fans as to why one team was excluded from the video.

Amidst the community discussions, Blacklist International’s CEO (Chief Executive Officer), Tryke Gutierrez, responded to the concerns of fans as he claims to have contacted Moonton for an explanation.

Tryke Gutierrez explains why Blacklist International was not included in M5 Trailer

Through a video on TikTok, Tryke Gutierrez shared his thoughts on the recently revealed M-Series trailer during the M5 Group Draw livestream.

“I watched the video and I was shocked, to be honest, because they made a video about M (series) history without a single Blacklist clip, why is that?” Tryke said.

The Blacklist International CEO further elaborated that he reached out to Moonton for clarification regarding the matter, to which the company responded that it was not the final version of the M5 Trailer.

“According to them (Moonton), the video was technically made for the greatest players,” he shared. 

The Greatest 10 Players is an event where fans can vote for their favorite talents to be awarded as the greatest players in Mobile Legends history. The event is hosted on TikTok with the voting period ending this 7th December 2023.

According to Tryke, Blacklist International’s iconic players like Danerie "Wise" Rosario and Jonmar "OhMyV33NUS" Villaluna were not included on the list due to the “promotional activities that they are doing with brands that they (Moonton) are not comfortable with.”

While the explanation provided by Moonton was convincing enough, Tryke explained that the context and time of when the video was posted was “weird.” 

“Why would you show something like that in a Group Draw for M5 when it was just for the individual players (The Greatest 10 Players event nominees), so I think that is what confused people,” he expressed.

He goes on to discuss that “if it’s a video for M5, then that’s something that’s not technically acceptable because it’s weird why there is no Blacklist in there, no M3 (champion).”

Tryke also shared that Moonton will be uploading an extended version of the trailer that will include all of the previous M-Series champions. 

An official statement regarding the inclusion of the Burmese talent Nainglin "ACE" Swe in the Greatest 10 Players nominees may also be posted in the future, according to the Blacklist International CEO. This was due to fan concerns as to why the pro player is still included despite him promoting a gambling site, a brand that Moonton is not comfortable supporting.

Tryke shared that fan recognition is what the team needs

Continuing on his thoughts about Blacklist International not included in the M5 trailer, Tryke Gutierrez believes that awards and recognitions from Moonton and other sources are merely just a “bonus.” Being recognized by the community and fans is good enough for the team.

“Whatever recognition they give to us, that’s just a bonus for me… as long as you (the fans) are giving the recognition, it’s ok for us, as long as internally in the organization, we’re giving the right recognition to the right people, rewarding them of what they deserve, I think we’re ok,” he explained.

The Blacklist International CEO further stated that instead of focusing on the issue, he would rather set his sight on helping the team prepare for the upcoming M5 World Championship. Tryke also asks fans to keep a “Winner’s Mindset” and to stop spreading toxicity over the issue.