WITH THE collapse of Onic PH's roster comes an opportunity for rival teams to acquire the pieces of the once-dominant Filipino Hedgehogs.
There has been speculation that more former players from Onic PH might end up abroad, and EVOS Legends' headcoach Bjorn "Zeys" Ong revealed a major transfer.
Malaysian MLBB squad Team SMG have already acquired Onic's Jaylord "Hatred" Gonzales, Zeys said in a Facebook post.
Sources close to Hatred have confirmed the signing to Spin.ph.
In Zeys' Facebook post, the coach revealed, "SMG HATE! First Filipino player to Malaysia. Great to see imports going around to different leagues."
Prior to his announcement, Hatred posted a photo which hinted that he is currently in Malaysia, based on what's written on the luggage cart.
Hatred isn't the only MPL-PH veteran who will be taking his talents abroad for the upcoming MPL season. Coaches John Michael "Zico" Dizon and Paul Denver "Yeb" Miranda, as well as jungler Kairi "Kairi" Rayosdelsol, have already moved to foreign shores.
How will Hatred impact Team SMG?
Since Season 8, Team SMG has benefited from the acquisition of international players. Indonesia's James "James" Chen served as the team's head coach, and with Lu "Sasa" Khai Bean returning to his country after his stint with Onic Indonesia, SMG was able to experience a resurgence.
They became the overall champion in Season 8, which gave them a ticket to the M3 World Championship.
Their Season 9 performance, however, only got them as far as a 5th to 6th place finish, while their rivals Todak won the overall championship.
With his arrival, SMG could experience a boost in their midlane/roamer role, given that he offers an extremely flexible hero lineup with the numerous roles he's taken on in his career.
Add his explosiveness which was evident during the M3 World Championship, and SMG might be able to reclaim their gold. Imagine the possibilities with that frightening Hatred + Sasa combo.
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