BLACKLIST International’s victory over Bren Esports was not only an important momentum booster for the Codebreakers, but also a message that the team is slowly regaining their old form.
While the previous weeks saw Blacklist scrambling to rediscover their winning formula, their match against Bren Esports revealed that the team has finally found their identity, centered on giving Kent Xavier “Kevier” Lopez the finisher role, as well as the confidence to respond to his critics.
If before he was viewed as passive or lackluster, now was his moment to shine.
Coach Kristoffer “BON CHAN” Ricaplaza admitted that they needed a lot of time to get him up to speed.
“Parati namin kinakausap na expected yung mga ganyan," he said. "Hinihingan namin yung bashers na bigyan mo naman siya ng time. Bigyan niyo ng two weeks at matutunan niya yung dapat niyang matutunan. And eto na yun, tapos na yung two weeks.”
He added: “Bakit niyo i-ju-judge yung player eh kakasimula lang niya eh?”
Even Dexter Louise “DEX STAR” Alaba agreed with Coach BON CHAN’s comments. After all, Blacklist's formidable reputation comes with its own pressures if you're the new guy on the team.
“Kahit sino ata ilagay mo sa Blacklist, ma-pre-pressure talaga siya. So trust the process,” said the Blacklist captain.
Numerous possibilities await Blacklist International
Kevier’s integration to the squad forced Coach BON CHAN to adapt to extremely mobile heroes like Ling and Roger.
Throughout the series against Bren, Kevier was the finisher. While his teammates did the initial damage, he delivered the follow-up assaults.
DEX STAR explained this gameplan: “Kase sa hero niya, talagang Ling, Roger. Never nauuna yun, kapag nauna yun patay kaagad yun.”
BON CHAN elaborated: “So taga-pulis talaga siya, magawa sana yung teammates niya yung role na dipensahan siya.”
Due to the arrival of these heroes, it’s possible for Blacklist to deploy these heroes even with the return of Johnmar “OhMyV33nus” Villaluna and Danerie James “Wise” Del Rosario.
In fact, DEX STAR hinted that these could appear.
“Mas kakaiba pa! Kung nanonood kayo ng livestream ni Wise, Johnson na jungler,” he said.
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