Over the course of two years, the Philippines has established itself as a top country with outstanding standards in the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang competition, winning the respect of its competitors. The world-class players in the region have raised the bar for competitive play, notably Johnmar “OHMYV33NUS” Villaluna of Blacklist International, who never shrinks away from the international spotlight.
As the team’s captain, OHMYV33NUS has helped them win the MLBB Pro League Philippines three times and the M3 event in Singapore in 2021. Aside from that, he popularized a distinct meta with his signature heroes such as Estes and Diggie, establishing the Philippines competitive scene as a trendsetter. In an indirect manner, he became one of the personalities who boosted the value of Philippines MLBB players, who are increasingly in demand by other countries, especially Indonesia.
Recently, Indonesia, the Philippines’ greatest rival in MLBB competition, has taken numerous steps to entice Filipino players to play in the MPL ID. Beginning with Kairi “Kairi” Rayosdelsol’s admission into Onic Esports in 2021, Filipino players are gradually receiving similar offers from MPL ID teams such as Geek Slate, Bigetron Alpha, and RRQ, which established their PH squad last week. V33NUS, on the other hand, wishes to see the opposite in the Philippines competition.
During a live streaming session a few days ago, a viewer asked V33NUS about his thoughts on an Indonesian joining his Blacklist team. He then stated that he would want to see non-Filipino players join his side, particularly those from Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia.
“What if an Indo player wants to join Blacklist? Actually, I want to experience that. I’m open to that,” V33NUS said. “Because Indo are getting PH imports to know the trends in PH. Also, Malaysia and Singapore, right? So why not as well get Indo players, or someone from Malaysia or Singapore? Let’s get them well-trained in the PH scene. I feel that would be great.”
Given that there hasn’t been a single team in the Philippines tournament that has signed players from outside the country yet, V33NUS’s opinions on the imports are undoubtedly intriguing. However, it’s anticipated that many pros would choose the MPL ID over the PH due to the excellent pay packages offered in Indonesia. This issue was highlighted by a controversial North American player, Michael “Mobazane” Cosgun, who previously said that he would prefer to go to Indonesia over the Philippines due to their fanbase and bigger salary.
