Cover-Credits:
Blacklist International’s coach, Kristoffer “BON CHAN” Ricaplaza shared with the fans how the Sibol national team was formed. Two of the team’s young prodigies Kiel “Oheb” Soriano and Edward “Edward” Jay Dapadap were unable to compete due to the age limitations in the 31st SEA Games. Due to this, the team drafted two new players that would fill the missing roles for the national team. BON CHAN also revealed who were the potential candidates as well as the reason behind his decision to recruit Howard “Owl” Gonzales and Dominic “Dominic” Soto as substitutes for Oheb and Edward to complete the Sibol lineup.
Owl’s entry into the Sibol lineup was a “Blessing in Disguise,” says BON CHAN
To complete the Sibol lineup, BON CHAN had to scout for potential candidates to fill the role of Gold Lane and EXP Lane. One of the potential candidates for the Gold Lane role was Johnville "Outplayed" Villar. However, an unexpected turn of events occurred which led BON CHAN to let go of the pro player.
“When we tried him out it’s like ‘ok, he’s the one we’re looking for,’ because he has the attributes of a gold laner,” said the Blacklist International coach.
BON CHAN further commended the pro player’s performance during the tryouts, saying that “He can farm, doesn’t immediately join [in team fights], very cautious. He really does have the attributes of a gold laner.”
However, when BON CHAN offered Outplayed the opportunity to join the Sibol lineup, one team was already one step ahead of them. The pro player was in the process of signing to Omega Esports.
“I asked him what would he prefer, Omega or Blacklist Sibol? He chose Omega [Esports],” BON CHAN said.
When the first candidate declined the offer, the Blacklist International coach went for his second option which was the former Laus Playbook Esports player Jay “Jake The Dog” Lapitan.
“He’s good in 1-on-1, very reliable, he has map awareness. The problem is the unnecessary talks, he speaks unnecessary things that make it seem like the team is just playing for fun,” explained BON CHAN.
While the pro player had potential, BON CHAN went on to look for other candidates. That’s when Blacklist International’s star gold laner Kiel “OHEB” Calvin Soriano introduced Owl who was contemplating giving up his dream of being an MLBB pro player.
“Acquiring him [Owl] was a blessing in disguise because his attitude fits,” said the Blacklist International coach. “His performance is also ok during the tryouts and he has the attributes of a gold laner, he has map awareness, and he was able to unleash his gameplay more when the Sibol qualifier started.”
Dominic is silent but has swag, says BON CHAN
The first candidate that BON CHAN was eying for the EXP Lane position was the former veteran player of TNC Pro Team Lander “Der” San Gabriel. However, the pro player had one of the biggest issues that most EXP Laners often have.
“He’s [Der] good, the problem is in a 1-on-1 situation, it’s either even or at a disadvantage. However, you can count on him during a team fight. He knows who to zone and when he needs to protect someone,” BON CHAN explained.
The coach stated that “we can’t teach an EXP Laner how to 1-on-1.” If Der joins the Sibol lineup, he needed to keep up with the likes of Rivaldi "R7" Fatah from RRQ Hoshi, Maxhill "Antimage" Leonardo from EVOS Legends, and Muhammad "Butss" Satrya Sanubari from ONIC Esports (Indonesia).
While searching for more candidates, BON CHAN found a suitable pro player with seemingly impressive in-game stats.
“He [Dominic] has a high win rate, there are others who send their stats with high win rates but if you look further like damage dealt, damage taken, it’s very low. That usually means that their teammates were good but they are average,” said the Blacklist International coach.
Despite the coach’s skepticism, Dominic had the opportunity to tryout for the EXP Lane position.
“When we tried him out, he’s quite daring during 1-on-1 fights, he retaliates but his map awareness is not that good. But that’s something we can work out,” said BON CHAN.
After explaining Dominic’s performance during the tryouts, BON CHAN goes on to say that “his attitude is ok. He’s quite silent but he has swag, he’s daring.”
When the recruitment for the national team was finalized, Blacklist International dominated the Sibol Qualifiers and has earned the honor of representing the Philippines in the upcoming 31st SEA Games.
