DURING THE GRAND FINALS of the MPL Philippines, Blacklist International posted a photo which became one of the trending topics in the scene.
The photo showed Nexplay's Renejay "RENEJAY" Barcarse sitting beside Tier One chief executive officer and co-founder Tryke Gutierrez, with the caption: "CEO buff and??"
Some fans assumed that RENEJAY might already be in discussions with Tryke for a potential move to Blacklist International.
Here's what Tryke had to say about it during the grand finals press conference.
"The offseason is something that we’re always excited about. Diba we made one of the greatest trades in MLBB history (Kairi-V33Wise)? So everything’s open. Pero it’s clearly not my decision, it’s the scouting team and all that so nothing is impossible so yun na lang yung masasabi ko."
What will RENEJAY achieve if he leaves Nexplay?
History has proven that players (and even coaches) who leave Nexplay for other teams have benefited after their departure.
Coach John Michael "Zico" Dizon and Jhonwin "Hesa" Vergara are now MPL champions and M4 representatives after they joined Cambodia's MLBB scene this year. The latter even regained his confidence after constant nagging and criticism from Setsuna "Akosi Dogie" Ignacio.
In the MPL-PH, one can argue that ex-Nexplayers Tristan "Yawi" Cabrera and Sanford "SanFord" Vinuya's playstyles have drastically evolved from their previous selves.
If Yawi in Season 8 revealed a slight rustiness with his setups, Season 9 and 10 saw him emerge to be one of the most explosive options that led to ECHO's House of Highlights. Yawi could've also been a playoff MVP with how he carried his team against RSG Philippines and Blacklist International.
Also consider how SanFord evolved from a player easily overwhelmed during the MPL: Invitational to a solid EXP lane option and one of the most improved players in Season 10.
RENEJAY has his own share of flaws. He tends to be overly aggressive at some points, and it can be argued that he plays well when using combative options like Masha and Dyrroth, but struggles when opting for a more patient option like Uranus.
Will RENEJAY follow the footsteps of his former teammates and join Blacklist International? We're staying tuned.