Here's What We Learned From EVOS SG's AMA on Reddit

EVOS SG, the defending champions of the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League (MPL) Singapore (SG) hosted an Ask Me Anything (AMA) session on Reddit. The EVOS SG's AMA session was posted on 17th Sept 2021 and was mainly answered by team manager Stefan "Soul" Chong and coach Daryl ‘Youngin’ Ng. A lot of fans asked a ton of questions regarding both the esports industry and the in-game meta. The two representatives also shared a few details about their personal life and what sorts of other things they do aside from competitive esports. Here’s what we learned from EVOS SG’s AMA session on Reddit.

EVOS SG Soul and Youngin answered fan questions on Reddit

One of the top Singaporean powerhouses in Mobile Legends, EVOS SG, hosted an AMA session with its fans on Reddit featuring its team manager Soul and coach Youngin. The team answered most of the questions posted, giving players a glimpse into the lives of these esports pro players in Singapore.

It is not advisable to drop out just to pursue competitive esports

Youngin admits that he did drop out of school but the reason was not to pursue gaming. However, he does not recommend giving up education for a full-time esports career.

“I do know of other Singaporeans who also dropped out to pursue gaming as well, definitely don't recommend LOL,” stated Youngin.

Youngin had started out playing DOTA 1 (DOTA All-stars Warcraft Custom Map) then transitioned to DOTA 2 competitively. He then found his way to Mobile Legends and eventually settled in as EVOS SG’s coach.

Enemies on the battlefield, friends outside the arena

Soul expressed that despite them considering other teams to be tough competitors in the MPL league, they keep a friendly profile outside the competition.

“We definitely do play together! Players have been switching teams as well so some of them are actually ex-teammates. It's really fun,” stated Soul.

Mobile Legends esports in Singapore is yet to be considered a sustainable career

Mobile Legends in Singapore has just started to bloom and the fact that Singapore finally has its own MPL league separated from Malaysia is proof of that. However, Youngin believes that it has still not yet reached that stage where youngsters could consider it as a full-time career.

“Lack of training and discipline compared to other regions has always been an issue, not just in MLBB but the overall esports scene in Singapore. We do study games from other regions, sometimes even attempting to imitate their strategies!” stated Youngin.

The Mobile Legends hero Fanny is almost impossible to use in competitive esports

Fanny has been one of the hottest topics when it comes to Mobile Legends esports. She is one of the heroes with the lowest pick rate. Soul explained why this hero is no longer usable in the current meta.

“I think teams just feel that it's too big a risk to be picking Fanny. Her damage is unreliable and if she messes up its almost certain death. Also, the fanny player must be really skilled to pull it off. But these days, the professional players would spend their time training other heroes so the confidence in playing her will drop as well,” stated Soul.

Soul’s comment about Philippines Mobile Legends pro player Duane “Kelra” Pillas

Kelra is one of the star rookies of the Philippines Mobile Legends team Omega Esports. He previously received backlash from the gaming community for his unprofessional comments towards various pro players which resulted in a two-week suspension from the MPL PH. Soul thinks that Kelra still lacks maturity and is quite boastful.

“From my encounters with Kelra, I feel like he might not be matured yet and has no filters in what he wants to say and express. He should learn to carry himself better as a professional Esports athlete. He does come across to me as a very full of himself individual,” stated Soul.

The struggle is real for part-time esports pro players compared to full-time pro players

Soul reveals that EVOS SG usually practices at least 4 hours per day during the regular season where there is less pressure. However, training could go up to 10 hours a day during high-stakes matches. Part-timers, on the other hand, spend less time training which makes it very hard for them to balance their esports career and real-life responsibilities.

“Unlike the full-time professional teams in the other countries, our training hours are a fraction of theirs and honestly it has been a struggle to pit ourselves against them,” stated Soul.

How to get scouted by esports organizations?

Soul reveals that they mostly find players who have managed to reach high-tier ranks close to or equal to the pro players. The teams are usually on the lookout, and when a player gets queued with them while playing ranked matches they tend to gauge whether the player in their match has potential.

“At a certain MMR (varying from time left in the season), over at our servers, we are frequently matched up with the professional players in ranked games. We often look for players that have reached this stage,” stated Soul.

Youngin echoed Soul’s response, saying “we hold trials between seasons, usually with a screenshot of your profile and statistics.” Being well known in the esports communities can also help in being recognized by an organization.

There were certainly a lot of useful insights provided by Soul and Youngin during the EVOS SG's AMA session on Reddit. It will be interesting to see if other esports organizations consider hosting similar AMA sessions.