THE NINTH season of the Mobile Legends Professional League-Philippines is all set to start on February 18, with a grudge match between Onic PH and defending champs Blacklist International.
This game will kick off eight consecutive weekends of nonstop competition — a grueling schedule for the athletes and coaches of the eight franchise teams that make up the league.
But it is surely no less grueling for the caster talent pool, whose names and faces have become as familiar to the fans as the players themselves. Whether hosting, analyzing, or commentating, these casters will be following every adrenaline-charged play, bridging the high-octane action on screen with the audience streaming the match at home.
In our Spin.ph Zoom In episode, we asked casters Manjean and Uomi how they, personally, are preparing for the tough season ahead.
Manjean discovers coffee, Uomi rediscovers fitness
Manjean Faldas has been doing this for a long time. As the voice of the MPL-PH since Season 1, he’s learned to take it easy during the offseason.
“Personally, may kanya-kanya kaming ritwal. Ako, mahilig lang ako mag-relax. Ako kasi, when I study, I just watch games. Di ako mahilig mag-notes. Nagno-notes lang ako pag may gusto talaga akong tandaan. Pero mas nagwo-work sa akin yung experience,” Manjean said.
He added: “I play. Right now I play a lot.”
Manjean is also discovering the joys of coffee, which he credits to Uomi. “Pero mas more on tsaa pa rin ako.”
Theo “Uomi” Ignacio, who entered the MPL-PH caster desk back in Season 7, is using the pre-season breather to get back into fitness.
“At some point I used to [run] four times a week. Ngayon, ni-limit ko to two times a week, because I've included weight training and other stuff. It's a lot of physical fitness for me, since I think I lost track of it during Season 7 and Season 8,” Uomi said. “ Kasi pandemic. Gyms were closed, we didn't know what to do. And outside was a very unsafe place to jog. Right now kasi, I'm trying to be in tune with my own body and mind as well.”
The literature major also said that he unwinds by writing rap verses. While he declined to sample it on air during the Zoom In episode, fans already know how hard his bars roll, thanks to his Onic PH verse in the pre-playoff “Rap Battle” promo vid that the league released back in S8.
“ I write songs from time to time. That's one of the passions I'm working on the side for free time,” said Uomi.
Casters prep storylines, messaging for S9
Manjean also revealed that the crew of casters are regularly meeting to do preps for S9.
“Nagha-huddle kami ng mga casters, to talk about kung ano ang magiging message namin as one for the viewers,” he said.
Those huddles will grow even more frequent when the regular season gets started. “We talk about storylines, we talk about interesting points per match, per game,” he said.
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