BON CHAN Reveals KielVJ and Light were potential Recruits for MPL PH Season 9

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BON CHAN Reveals KielVJ and Light Were Potential Recruits for Blacklist International

John Dave Rossel
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Highlights
BON CHAN revealed Kielvj and Light were potential candidates in consideration prior to the commencement of the MPL PH Season 9.
Due to time constraints, Blacklist International was not able to build the ideal team they hoped for.
Despite this, BON CHAN commended the two veterans DEX STAR and ESON for their efforts in adjusting their playstyle for KEVIER.

Blacklist International’s coach Kristoffer “BON CHAN” Ricaplaza revealed the potential candidates that were being considered prior to the commencement of the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League (MPL) Philippines (PH) Season 9. Aside from its current amateur jungler Kent "Kevier" Xavier Lopez, BON CHAN considered Omega Esports’ Kiel "KielVJ" VJ Cruzem and RSG PH’s Dylan "Light" Aaron Catipon as potential candidates to complete Blacklist International’s roster. The coach also commended two of the team’s veteran players for their noble efforts in adjusting their playstyle to fit Kevier’s playstyle. Despite the amateur jungler receiving a lot of criticism from fans, BON CHAN defends his decision to recruit Kevier for the team.

BON CHAN shared what could have been the roster of Blacklist International for MPL PH Season 9

Due to the unavailability of Blacklist International’s iconic players Jonmar "OhMyV33NUS" Villaluna and Danerie "Wise" James Del Rosario, the team was forced to revamp its roster for the MPL PH Season 9. The team eventually settled for Kevier to be the team’s jungler and drafted two of its veteran substitute players - Mark "ESON" Jayson Gerardo and Dexstar "DEX STAR" Louise Cruz Alaba back into the starting lineup.

Despite the team’s efforts in the tournament, Blacklist International could not solidify its team chemistry and was eliminated in the regular season. Fans then started questioning the team’s synergy with Kevier.

Through a vlog posted on YouTube, BON CHAN explained that during the pre-season, he was eyeing two junglers. The amateur jungler Kevier and OMEGA Esports’ KielVJ.

“KielVJ was one of the players whom I saw potential during Season 8 because he can use fighter heroes similar to Wise,” the coach said. “He can play Wise’s heroes like marksman and jungler so if we acquired him this season, UBE [Ultimate Bonding Experience] is back!”

The coach also revealed that there were missing pieces in the lineup that could not be replaced due to time constraints. This made it difficult for the team to find the perfect team chemistry that could fit Kevier’s playstyle as an assassin specialist.

“It wasn’t effective because we had a missing piece. If you have an assassin main, you really need an aggressive Pos 5,” the coach said.

He added, “their [DEX STAR and ESON] playstyle is about being defensive specialists. It’s like they were the ones who are good at blocking, strong at stealing [Objectives], but their playstyle didn’t complement an assassin user so we couldn’t unlock Kevier’s full potential.

This error was something the team realized when the full roster had been submitted but by then it could no longer be updated.

“Me [BON CHAN] and DEX [STAR] realized it only when we had already submitted the roster. When we asked sir Joy [Calulo, of MPL PH's league operations] a.k.a Ginoong Valdez, if we could submit one more player, unfortunately, it’s no longer possible,” explained BON CHAN.

While the team was not able to make last-minute changes to its roster, BON CHAN revealed the potential candidates were being considered. The first one was a former teammate of Kevier.

“First was Snap, Kevier’s former teammate. He’s one of the captain materials that can also shot-call,” he said.

The next candidate was RSG PH’s Light who has already proven himself to be quite formidable in his role.

“The next one was Light from RSG [PH]. I asked him if he already had a team and unfortunately he was on his way to sign on RSG at the time. But I’m so happy that he joined a team that fits his gameplay,” BON CHAN said.

BON CHAN has no regrets in choosing Kevier

Despite the constant criticism that Kevier has been receiving from fans, BON CHAN stood firm with his decision of welcoming the amateur jungler to the team.

“Again, I’ll stand on my statement that I and DEX didn’t make a mistake in choosing a player,” stated the coach. “We went for Kevier, from being an amateur, a recent champion from Juicy Legends [tournament], has a passport, fully vaccinated, and he has potential.”

BON CHAN also praised the two veterans - DEX STAR and ESON for attempting to adjust their playstyle to compliment Kevier’s jungle playstyle.

“I’m still thankful to DEX and ESON because despite their playstyle not fitting an assassin user, they still went along with it,” BON CHAN said.

The coach ended his statement by sharing some comforting words for Kevier who had been through a lot of pressure this MPL season.

“At that age, he [Kevier] experienced how hard being a pro player is and he will be bringing that wisdom as he grows,” BON CHAN said. “He has improved a lot, I can see him as one of the strongest junglers when the time comes.”

With the team officially eliminated from the MPL PH Season 9, Blacklist International is now eyeing the upcoming 31st SEA Games.

Keep up with the live scores, schedule, stream links, and more with AFK Gaming's hub for the MPL PH Season 9.


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John has been reporting developments on major mobile MOBA titles such as Mobile Legends, Wild Rift, and Arena of Valor for over two years. He also understands and follows various other PC/Mobile games such as League of Legends, Crossfire, Warcraft and more.

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