Coach Bon Chan Reveals How He Almost Acquired Renejay for MPL PH Season 5
Blacklist International’s head coach Kristoffer “Bon Chan” Ricaplaza revealed that Nexplay EVOS’ EXP Laner Renejay "RENEJAY" Barcase was originally going to join his team, EVOS PH for the 5th Season of the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) Professional League (MPL) Philippines (PH). However, due to unfortunate circumstances, the team had to disband. The roster was shortly acquired by Blacklist International but RENEJAY decided to join Aether Clan which was managed by Setsuna “Dogie” Ignacio. Coach BON CHAN also shared that he used to spend time with RENJAY and Blacklist International’s star EXP Laner Edward "EDWARD" Dapadap. They used to play ranked games in MLBB so they know each other’s capabilities quite well.
RENEJAY could have been one of his teammates for MPL PH Season 5, says Coach BON CHAN
In one of Coach BON CHAN’s vlogs, he revealed that while forming a team roster he has no specific criteria when looking for players. However, he does pick players in whom he sees potential.
During the Pre-season 5 roster shuffle, back when he was still under EVOS PH, coach BON CHAN shared that at the time he considered recruiting EDWARD as a replacement for Karl Milton "DOOF EN" Feliciano.
“After Season 4 in EVOS PH, we planned on adding a player that would replace DOOF because DOOF was already planning on becoming a full-time livestreamer,” said BON CHAN.
The coach added that he recommended EDWARD to be the potential replacement. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, the team disbanded before the process was finalized. Fortunately, the squad’s journey did not end there as Blacklist International acquired the whole roster alongside EDWARD.
“EDWARD got in but on Blacklist International… and he played back then as Position 4 and sometimes Position 5 roamer, and he started the Natalia Roam,” explained BON CHAN.
Around Season 6, the head coach considered adding Kairi "Kairi" Rayosdelsol (previously known as FULLCLIP) to the team’s roster for that season. Despite various mishaps like internet issues, Kairi was able to impress the squad.
“Within one week, they only did ranked games, there was no Bootcamp yet. I remember he kept lagging during that time then Dex said ‘why is he always lagging’ because I think he was still using data. But, eventually, they liked his playstyle,” explained BON CHAN.
The coach added that he will never recommend a player just because they are acquaintances or family. He believes that each player has a right to qualify and prove himself through tryouts and let other members decide if they want to welcome the player.
After sharing Kairi and EDWARD’s story, Coach BON CHAN revealed that RENEJAY was also one of the players he wished would join EVOS PH before it disbanded.
“RENEJAY also came from me but like what happened before, EVOS PH disbanded,” the head coach said. “He was one of the potential recruits for EVOS.”
He added that RENEJAY was already a part of the in-game squad before the team disbanded. Due to the unfortunate event, RENEJAY decided to join Dogie’s esports organization, Aether Esports.
While the acquisition failed, BON CHAN is still proud of RENEJAY’s decision and is now very successful in life under Dogie’s care.
“Renejay’s decision to move to Aether Clan was good because he now has a very successful life,” the coach said. “Although he didn’t get a championship I’m still proud of what he has achieved.”
Recent rumors suggest that Blacklist International is in talks to acquire RENEJAY for its roster for the upcoming season. While these rumors are yet to be confirmed, the team’s CEO Tryke Gutierrez revealed that anything can happen and it’s not for him to decide. Fans will have to keep their eyes peeled for more updates on whether or not RENEJAY dorns the black and white jersey for the MPL PH Season 11.
