One Sports
Saturday, October 05, 2024
The SIBOL Honor of Kings team debuted in the China-ASEAN Esports Competition. The SIBOL Mobile Legends: Bang Bang all-female team also competed in an open tournament for the first time.
SIBOL HoK and MLBB pose for a photo after arriving at Nanning Wuxu International Airport for the China-ASEAN tournament. | Photo: SIBOL
Marlon Marcelo, executive director of the Philippine Esports Organization (PESO), is optimistic about the future of SIBOL’s Honor of Kings and all-female Mobile Legends: Bang Bang teams following their recent performances at the China-ASEAN Esports Competition.
SIBOL, powered by SMART, showcased a roster of players from BOOM Esports and Execration for the Honor of Kings event, while the Omega Empress team, champions of the Esports World Cup, led the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang squad alongside a standout from ZOL Esports FE.
For the first time since the title was made available to the country last June, the national team sent an Honor of Kings squad to compete internationally, with flight accommodations provided by Philippine Airlines.
In their debut, the SIBOL Honor of Kings team showed no signs of nerves, demonstrating remarkable determination to clinch the bronze medal after a tough three-game series against Indonesia, despite facing technical issues and lengthy delays.
“The future is bright for our SIBOL Honor of Kings team after securing the bronze. We are moving in the right direction as we aim for success in yet another game title,” Marcelo stated.
The Honor of Kings team had a strong start in the group stage, defeating teams from Thailand and Brunei before falling to the eventual champions, the host team China.
Entering the semifinals as the No. 2 seed, the Philippines faced Malaysia, backed by LGD Gaming MY, but suffered a disappointing sweep.
The roster for the SIBOL Honor of Kings team included team captain Miguel “Miggie” Banaag, Dragon Hard “Dragon” Dajao, Audrey “Ajizix” Cedro, John Lloyd “Impressive” Dela Cruz, and Eleazar “Azar” Salle, all from BOOM Esports, along with Karl Ken “Karlll” Bautista from Execration and coach Christian “Ciiyan” Villegas.
Conversely, the SIBOL Mobile Legends: Bang Bang all-female team, competing in an open tournament for the first time, faced tough competition and exited in the group stage after losses to male teams from Cambodia and China, represented by MPL KH team CFU Gaming and top Chinese squad Xianyou Gaming, respectively.
Despite the early exit, Marcelo emphasized the value of the experience for the all-female team, noting that one of the federation’s goals is to address the skill gap between genders.
“For our MLBB team, this is a learning experience in navigating an open-category tournament and understanding its nuances,” Marcelo remarked. He was part of the delegation alongside SIBOL general manager Jab Escutin, team manager Jeff Victoriano, head coach Ralph Llabres, project manager Victor Cabuay, and correspondent Manjean Faldas.
The SIBOL Mobile Legends: Bang Bang squad featured captain Mery “Meeray” Vivero, Sheen “Shinoa” Perez, Gwyneth “Ayanami” Diagon, Kaye “Keishi” Alpuerto, Rica Fatima “Amoree” Amores, and coach Salman “King Salman” Macarambon of Omega Empress, with Lhoureian “Rianne” Alcaraz from ZOL Esports FE completing the lineup.
Marcelo extended heartfelt thanks to Philippine Airlines for their excellent flight service and acknowledged the support of Premier partners SMART and Predator, along with the Philippine Sports Commission under Chairman Dickie Bachmann and Commissioner Walter Torres.