Cover-Credits:
Though Nexplay EVOS put forth a valiant effort in the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) SIBOL Qualifiers Phase 2, the team was defeated by the M3 World Champions, Blacklist International. Despite losing the grand finals 4-1, Nexplay EVOS received praise from the M3 World Champions, for its newly recruited rookies and how much it has improved since last year.
With Nexplay EVOS’ SIBOL qualifiers journey coming to an end, the team will now set its sights on preparing for the upcoming Mobile Legends Professional League (MPL) Philippines (PH) Season 9.
OhMyV33nus admits they had a hard time dealing with Nexplay EVOS during the MLBB Sibol Qualifier Phase 2 grand finals
Blacklist International’s support specialist and team captain, Johnmar “OhMyV33nus” Villaluna, in a post-match interview, expressed his surprise at Nexplay EVOS' improvement.
“Actually, the series was very hard because of how much Nexplay EVOS has improved and their drive to represent in the SEA Games,” stated OhMyV33nus.
OhMyV33nus added that despite him being impressed, it did not stop him from spearheading his team into winning the honor of representing the Philippines in the upcoming 31st Southeast Asia (SEA) Games.
Blacklist International’s first encounter with Nexplay EVOS was during the second round of the MLBB SIBOL Qualifiers Phase 2. Nexplay EVOS had a rough start when one of its core members John Paul “H2wo” Salonga was rushed to a hospital due to vomiting and stomach aches. This resulted in the team arriving late into the scheduled match, and thus suffered a penalty of one loss. The team was not able to recover and got sent to the lower bracket.
Despite its setback, Nexplay EVOS still managed to climb its way back to the upper brackets by defeating Omega Esports, ONIC PH, and RSG PH. The team bounced back for a fated rematch with Blacklist International in the grand finals. However, Nexplay EVOS could not match the M3 World Champions’ nearly unstoppable Ultimate Bonding Experience strategy better known as the UBE strategy.
Blacklist International’s analyst, Dexter Louise "DEX STAR" Alaba, was also impressed with Nexplay EVOS’ three new recruits - Kennenth "CADENZA" Castro, Renren "Ureshii" Nitsuga, and Mariusz "Donut" Tan.
“Their three rookies, Ureshii, Donut, and Cadenza, don’t play like they are still amateurs,” stated Blacklist International’s analyst. He added that the rookies are good at adjusting their hero picks during the drafting phase. DEX STAR thinks that Nexplay EVOS is probably all set for a good run the upcoming MPL PH Season.
Blacklist International will represent the Philippines in the upcoming 31st SEA Games
With the M3 World Champions earning the honor of representing their country in the upcoming 31st SEA Games, some adjustments had to be made.
Two of Blacklist International’s core members, Edward “EDWARD” Dapadap and Kiel “Oheb” Soriano, will not be able to participate as the event is only for players above 18 years of age. To compensate for this, the team has signed Kyle Dominic “Dominic” Soto and Lee Howard “Owl” Gonzales to fill the missing roles of the team.
While this lineup does not include two of its young prodigies, the team still showcased dominance during the MLBB SIBOL Qualifiers Phase 2. Fans will be seeing more of the two new recruits in the upcoming 31st SEA Games which will kick off on 12 May.
