IMAGINE AN alternate universe where one of the best EXP laners in MLBB history, Edward "Edward" Jay Dapadap ended up playing for a team not named Blacklist International.
And that is what Setsuna "Akosi Dogie" Ignacio revealed on his latest YouTube video.
While conversing with Renejay "Renejay" Barcarse, the two of them shared what happened from behind the scenes from Season 6 and how things could've ended up differently had their wishes been fulfilled.
Dogie did end up saying that failing to land Edward continues to haunt him.
"Doon ako nanghinayang, hanggang ngayon pinagsisisihan ko siya," said the MLBB streaming icon.
Poaching Edward to join Nexplay
To begin with the cards were looking favorable for Nexplay, as Blacklist was still struggling to make their breakthrough during that period. This was Blacklist before they acquired the Royal Duo of Danerie James "Wise" Del Rosario and Johnmar "OhMyV33nus" Villaluna.
Meanwhile Nexplay had Renejay and given his ties with Edward, he tried poaching his pal to join the Neon Tigers.
Renejay did admit that Edward was interested to join Nexplay especially after a mediocre Season 6 outing.
"Noong Season 6 medyo maalat yung performance nila (Blacklist) at that time. Sabi niya (Edward) gusto niya mag-try," started Renejay.
Renejay tried to further convince his pal saying: "Feeling ko ikaw yung kailangan namin."
The Hitman was full of high praises and he even highlighted that Edward was one of the best Pharsa users in the country.
However Pharsa wasn't the only hero in his arsenal as he can try a plethora of mages. Given his initial playstyle, it seemed Nexplay needed his midlane presence.
And he managed to showcase his impact with Nexplay in some of the offseason tournaments.
A champion's mentality
Edward tried out with Nexplay since one of their key contributors, A3RON, was forced to go to the hospital.
For six days, Edward grinded with the Neon Tigers and those six days were enough to leave a strong impression to Dogie.
While most players would admit that they struggle to grasp certain heroes, Edward would simply shrug it off and move forward.
"Si Edward bakit siya gustong-gusto ko? Kasi noong nag-'ML o Ako' pa lang tayo, nag-try na siya sa amin (Nexplay)," he started.
During the trial session, Dogie gave Edward a list of heroes to play.
"Pharsa ka. Kaka-rework lang ng Pharsa, ayaw ni A3RON ng Pharsa. Si Edward naglaro. Edward Pharsa ka, Bam! Edward ganito ka, Chang'e, Pharsa ka, ganito ka, tapos yung performance niya nalalaro pa ng maayos," Dogie narrated.
It didn't matter if Edward mastered the hero or not, afterall it's part of his job as a professional player to have the initiative and learn on the go.
"Sabi pa niya, 'Hindi Boss D, kaunting batak lang ito, makakabisado ko ito.' Alam mo siya yung nagsasabi nun. Hindi mo pagsasabihan na, 'Tol kailangan mong ibatak yan e."
"Mga anim na game, kabisado niya yun."
In the end, Dogie was left with high praises saying: "Sabi ko, 'Sh*t itong batang ito, willing to learn, alam niya kung saan siya lacking."
Edward vs. Exort
However, Edward wasn't the only one who tried out with Nexplay as there was also another experienced veteran who wanted to prove a point, Dexter "Exort" Martinez.
Renejay and Dogie didn't hesitate to share their sentiments on Exort, even going as far as saying that Edward could push Nexplay to the finals.
The Hitman then clarified his point saying: "Si Edward yung magfi-fit that time sa team namin, hindi dahil ayoko kay Exort, pero si Exort goods siya as ka-team."
But before the debate was settled, a lot of paperwork needs to be done to sign Agent 0's signature.
Trading H2wo for Edward
There were talks from behind of John Paul "H2wo" Salonga being placed on the trading block, which Dogie discussed.
"Iti-trade nila, si Edward for H2wo. Sabi ko, 'Hindi pwede...malabo ata boss.' Sabi ko, 'Buyout magkano?' Sabi nila, '200K."
During that time, 200K was already a monumental figure and Dogie bargained if it was possible to trim it down to 80K.
However they weren't the only team that was interested to attain H2wo.
"Tumawag sa akin si Milly ng Onic, 'Boss D, trade V33nus and Wise para kay H2wo.' Sabi ko, 'Negats talaga kasi mahirap maghanap ng funnel at that time e. Si H2wo prime siya noon e," explained Dogie.
Eventually, Blacklist agreed with the 80K buyout offer from Nexplay and immediately the Hall of Famer requested for a meeting with the higher ups.
Nexplay admitted that they couldn't afford Edward's buyout clause, but Dogie was adamant to acquire him, even sacrificing his own income just to bring Edward to the Neon Tigers.
"Hindi niyo (Nexplay) babayaran, ako ang magbabayad, basta lineup siya," begged Dogie.
The management agreed, but there was one thing that needs to be factored, the decision of the entire team.
The final verdict
And so Dogie consulted with the team's captain, Chester "Chester" Gonzales, where he admitted that Exort was the better option over Edward.
Dogie disagreed based on his observations in The Nationals.
"Tol nag-The Nationals kami. Sabi ko sa iyo, ang daling i-outdraft yan (Exort). So bilang yung hero pool niya, yun yung sabi ko kay Chester."
Chester then replied: "Hindi Boss D, batak siya ngayon."
"Men tournament yun tol, in-outdraft namin. Hindi yun pwedeng i-base sa RG (ranked game). Magaling si Exort, palo, pero mas may potential si Edward," Dogie responds.
In order to avoid further conflict, the team conducted a voting session to decide on the final decision. The results revealed that Dogie and Renejay selected Edward, meanwhile the likes of Tristan "Yawi" Cabrera, Chester, and Bien “Mb” Esquillo chose Exort.
The final straw lies at the hands of H2wo, in which he said: "Kahit sino."
Dogie wasn't impressed with his answer and said: "Wala men Pos 4 mo yan. Dapat alam mo kung sino mag-fit sa iyo."
The final verdict of the team was Exort and his arrival to Nexplay only yielded the team a 7th-8th finish back in Season 7. Afterwards, he departed the team.
As for Edward? He ended up having one of the most legendary careers with a V33Wise-led Blacklist International.
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