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Blacklist International finally ended its losing streak after a grueling encounter with Nexplay EVOS in the fourth week of the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) Professional League Philippines (MPL PH) Season 11. The defending champions secured a clean sweep victory over the white tigers to close the series with a 2-0 score. Shortly after the intense match, Blacklist International’s star EXP Laner Edward "Edward" Dapadap looked back on his early days with his friend Bien "BoyetDR" Chumecera who is now playing under Nexplay EVOS. According to him, he wasn’t surprised that his friend BoyetDR would soon join the MPL PH scene as he had already been making a name for himself on the amateur stage with over 13 consecutive wins under Minana Esports.
EDWARD reflected on his days as an amateur player with BoyetDR.
Through a post-match press conference, EDWARD revealed how he became friends with BoyetDR and Renejay "RENEJAY" Barcarse. Their friendship started online and they eventually found the chance to meet up through MLBB tournaments held in malls.
“Back when we had no team, when we were still RG (Ranked Game) boys, that’s when we meet each other in Bataan,” explained EDWARD. “When there are tournaments in malls, we message each other so we could team up and win those tournaments, so that’s where we knew each other.”
As the squad started making a name for themselves in local tournaments, EDWARD was eventually acquired by Blacklist International while RENEJAY joined Nexplay Esports, where they got the taste of the professional scene.
“As for me, it was Blacklist, during the Juicy Legends (tournament), which was where I was known. I was scouted and messaged by DEX (STAR),” said EDWARD.
According to Blacklist International’s analyst Dexter "DEX STAR" Alaba, the arrival of the star EXP Laner was crucial to the team’s resurgence due to his flexibility and wide hero pool.
“During that time, we were looking for someone who is multirole in case there are changes after patches, we can adapt. EDWARD used to play tank, assassin, fighter, and marksman,” said the analyst.
BoyetDR also reminisced his days with EDWARD and RENEJAY through a Facebook post.
Blacklist International is up to a tougher challenge in the fifth week of the MPL PH Season 11. The Codebreakers will go up against the M4 World Champion ECHO on 17th March at 4:00 PM (PHT).
