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    OhMyV33nus hints Royal Duo planned to sacrifice MSC for Season 12

    The nonstop grind has taken a toll on the Royal Duo
    Aug 16, 2023
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    PHOTO: MOONTON Games

    WITH JOHNMAR "OHMYV33NUS" VILLALUNA and Danerie James "Wise" Del Rosario announcing their break in Season 12, fans pondered as to why the Royal Duo decided to once again step down, amid the prestige of playing in the Philippines for the upcoming M5 World Championship.

    In her podcast alongside Arvin "Toriyama" Recio and Wise, V33nus revealed that the Royal Duo's rest was necessary given the amount of tournaments that they competed.

    While the two of them took their leave in Season 9, it wasn't really a relaxing experience as both V33nus and Wise prepared for the 31st Southeast Asian Games, which took place in Vietnam.

    To add to the toll, the dynamic duo had only a few days of rest as they recently came from their M3 victory over Onic PH. Afterwards, the team had a few days of rest before competing in the Sibol qualifiers for the SEA Games.

    "Yan yung misconception ng mga tao na sinasabi nagpahinga kami noong Season 9 Kaya nga ako ni-reiterate namin na hindi kami nagpahinga noong Season 9, promise," said The Queen in the first episode of 'Podcast: The Trio.'

    She further revealed: "Hindi naman talaga kami nagpahinga...Kasi literal na right after ng tournament namin nun, nag-a-ano agad kami. After one week, nag-tryout agad kami tapos after tryout, nag-tournament agad kami for SEA Games. After ng SEA Games, qualifiers, nag-practice na agad kami for ano for SEA Games..."

    From the Southeast Asian Games, IESF, MPL Season 10, M4 World Championship, MPL Season 11, and the 2023 MSC, the Royal Duo has been all out in giving their best not only for Blacklist International but also the Philippines.

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    'Magpapahinga kami sa MSC'

    And as they kept on grinding in their campaign, the duo already had doubts if they could carry on. It started lingering during the Season 11 playoffs where Blacklist got dismantled by ECHO PH in the finale.

    "So going into playoffs sinabi ko na, 'Whatever happens, makapasok man kami ng MSC, kakatapos pa lang ng regular season nun. Makapasok man kami ng MSC, magpapahinga kami. Magpapahinga kami. Kung qualified kami sa MSC, di kami maglalaro. Ayun yung sinabi ko,” revealed OhMyV33NUS.

    And as ECHO garnered the finals victory, OhMyV33nus summoned everyone from the coaching staff and the main heads of the organization saying: "Boss Tryke ah, magpapahinga na kami ng MSC."

    As to why V33nus and Wise wanted to rest for the MSC? The duo was already feeling the burden of playing for a plethora of tournaments. A well deserved rest could prepare them for Season 12, where reaching the top two spots would garner them the World Championship slot.

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    “Sinasabi ko kila Boss Tryke na gusto kong magpahinga ng MSC kasi gusto kong maglaro ng S12. Ayun exactly ang sinasabi ko sa coaching staff. Kasi sabi ko kay Boss Tryke, ‘Sobrang draining talaga.’ Alam ng buong team yan, especially the coaching staff. Alam nila kung gaano ako ka-drain ng Season 11. Kaya sinabi nila, ‘Sige pahinga ka lang kung kailangan mo talaga magpahinga.”

    Despite being swept by ECHO, V33nus revealed that she was satisfied with the outcome given Blacklist's status as the underdog.

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    MOONTON's ruling

    After the loss to ECHO, V33nus revealed that their rest would mean that the likes of Russel "Eyon" Usi, Steve Nash "Steve" Calunuran, and Ian Jakob "Rindo" Seguiran would replace the Royal Duo for the MSC 2023 campaign and while this could end up as a huge leap for the MDL squad, there was one person that prevented this move from pushing through....MOONTON's esports operations executive, Joy Roland Calulo.

    "Ayun na kinausap namin si Sir Joy nung time na iyon. Tapos nung nakausap namin si Sir Joy na ganun yung plano namin for MSC, biglang sinabi ni Sir Joy…‘Uy, bawal magpalit ng lineup.’

    "So noong time na iyon, kakausap lang namin, nagdesisyon na kami and all, nagulantang kaming lahat. From MDL bawal. Literal na kung ano yung lineup mo noong nag-qualify ka, ayun yun," said The Queen.

    V33nus then hinted some inconsistencies with the ruling as ECHO PH managed to field some members from their MDL squad like Jaypee "Jaypee" Dela Cruz and Justine Sadia "Zaida" Palma.

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    But nevertheless, the Queen and King of the Jungle marched on.

    "So ayun nga, noong nalaman namin na bawal kaming magpahinga ng MSC, no choice kami. Medyo nalungkot ako to be honest pero kilala mo naman ako, kapag tournament, tournament mode ako," reflected V33nus.

    "Kapag warla mode ako, activate warla mode, warla mode ako. So noong MSC, sige bigay namin yung best namin kasi sabi rin namin ni Wise, 'Ayaw naman naming magpahinga ng last place kami sa MSC. Ayun ang mindset ko going MSC. Ayokong magpahinga na ang baba ng place namin."

    In the end the iconic duo gave Blacklist their grand finals berth in the MSC 2023, only for them to lose to Onic Indonesia 4-2.

    During the post-match interviews, there were hints of them resting for Season 12, however OhMyV33nus explained that she never closed the doors to begin with.

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    Entering Season 12

    "Hindi ko kinlose yung sarili ko na, ‘Ah sige Boss Tryke, kahit anong sabihin niyo, kahit anong gawin niyo magpapahinga talaga kami,’ hindi ako ganoon. Pero Kino-communicate ko sa kanila na hindi ako totally 100 percent na magre-rest. Ang sa akin lang, anong magiging plano natin for S12? Ayun lang ang sa akin kasi sobrang na-drain ako noong S11 saka MSC," said V33nus.

    She further clarified: "...Kung sasabak kami ng S12, gusto ko sana may plano tayo. Pero ayun nga, since sobrang iksi lang noong time ng preparation ng after ng MSC sa pasahan ng lineup, parang ang hirap na kaming makasingit ni Wise."

    In the end, the duo decided to take their much needed break.

    Given what OhMyV33nus revealed during the podcast, MOONTON responded saying: "MSC rules were communicated early on and there were no pushbacks regarding it. The league aligned this with the teams ahead of MPL Season 11 and MSC 2023, especially because of the updates on age restrictions," as stated by Keith Medrano MOONTON's regional PR manager.

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    He added: "We are glad that all teams, including theirs, were cooperative with us when we relayed this. OhMyV33nus and Wise made the country proud for their recent MLBB esports runs and we respect their decision to take a rest this season."

    "I hope we all look forward to seeing the exciting and elevated MPL Philippines Season 12 in September."

    With the V33Wise tandem out for Season 12, the Royal Duo will be focusing more on their business ventures (V33Wise Sari-Sari store) and their content creation career.

    And for those wondering regarding the future of the Queen, here's what V33nus hinted during the podcast.

    "Lagi kong sinasabi, hindi ko talaga nakikita yung sarili ko na mag-retire. Mawala man ako sa pro player, alam ko na meron akong mai-ambag sa scene. Esports pa din," said OhMyV33nus.

    Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph

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    PHOTO: MOONTON Games
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