Blacklist to represent PH in SEA Games after toppling Nexplay in qualifying finals

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Blacklist International’s dominance is still in full display after taking the championship crown against Nexplay EVOS, 4-1, during the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) SIBOL National Team Selection grand finals powered by SMART.

The prestigious win rewarded Blacklist as the Philippine representatives for MLBB in the upcoming 2022 Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) in Hanoi, Vietnam.

It was a usual Blacklist grand finals run as the most successful MLBB esports team in the Philippines snowballed their way in just five games, only dropping game three while sweeping games one, two, four, and five.

Blacklist’s Salic “Hadji” Imam’s consistent performance for five straight games was one of the main reasons why they got the victory.

Hadji’s terrific gameplay of Valentina and his signature Lunox cruised past Nexplay’s planned counter sets that allowed him to out-maneuver everyone in the map.

Aside from Hadji’s consistent top-level play, power duo Danerie “Wise” Del Rosario and Johnmar “OhMyV33NUS” Villaluna’s leadership and shot-calling helped Blacklist squeeze out of several crucial and difficult positions.

Completing the SEA Games bound MLBB team are Kyle “Dominic” Soto, Howard “Owl” Gonzales, and Dexter “DEX STAR” Alaba.

Taking over in the head coaching role is the ever-dynamic Kristoffer “BON CHAN” Ricaplaza and partner Aniel “Master the Basics” Jiandani.