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| (Image Source: Rappler) |
After a three-season absence, the Indonesian-based EVOS eSports has officially announced its return to the Philippine Mobile Legends Bang Bang (MLBB) scene through a newly-forged partnership with local eSports giant Nexplay which was unveiled at the Nexplay Uncovered virtual event held last June 19, 2021 (Saturday). For Nexplay founder and CEO Gabriel Benito, “This partnership is formed mainly because of our vision together. For Nexplay, our mission is about helping gamers succeed alongside EVOS’ vision of making dreams a reality for a lot of gamers."
In the third season of the Mobile Legends Professional League - Philippines (MPL-PH), EVOS was among the pioneering foreign squads to compete in the Philippines when it acquired the SXC Imbalance team led by Kristoffer "BON CHAN" Ricaplaza, who is currently the head coach of Blacklist International, and sixth man analyst Dexter "DEX STAR" Alaba and comprising of Reniel “HONDA BEAST” Encisa, Salic “Hadjizy” Imam and Archie “KIL LER” Valencia. However, EVOS pulled the plug on its Philippine roster at the conclusion of MPL-PH Season 4 and its roster was eventually tapped by Tier One Entertainment and renamed Blacklist International which has been the "talk of the town" in the local professional gaming scene after conquering MPL-PH Season 7 and finishing first runner-up in Mobile Legends Southeast Asia Cup 2021.
Prior to its return to the Philippine MLBB scene, EVOS has three established professional gaming teams across Southeast Asia: EVOS Legends (EVOS Indonesia), EVOS SG (EVOS Singapore) and Suhaz EVOS (EVOS Malaysia). The first M1 MLBB World Championship winner, EVOS recently won its second MPL Indonesia trophy and a third-place finish in the Mobile Legends Southeast Asia Cup while EVOS SG conquered the inaugural season of MPL Singapore on top of its MPL MY/SG Season 4 crown. Suhaz EVOS, on the other hand, has showcased strong progress in MPL MY Season 7 after wounding up third in the competition.
It will be a tall order for EVOS to replicate the achievements of its sister teams after NXP suffered back-to-back first round exits in the Season 6 and 7 playoffs of MPL-PH. Nevertheless, Dogie and his team's two consecutive 7th-8th place finishes kept their spot in the country's professional league for Moonton's globally popular mobile MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) game. For MPL-PH Season 8, the EVOS-NXP team will be helmed by former Onic PH standout John Michael "Zico" Dizon. Its full roster is yet to be revealed, but EVOS' return to MPL-PH is something Filipino gaming and eSports enthusiasts should look forward to in the coming months.
