V33WISE is back.
Fans were hoping that they would maintain their dominance after a long absence in the competitive scene — despite some skeptics, including Setsuna “Akosi Dogie” Ignacio, who infamously declared that Blacklist/Sibol only has a 10 percent chance at SEA Games gold, especially when matched against Indonesia.
Meanwhile, fans who watched the opening Philippines vs. Malaysia duel pegged Sibol’s chances at just 20 percent.
But in the end, Blacklist once again proved to their doubters that they are still a cut above the rest as they swept the group stages with a 3-0 record, earning their semifinals berth. Johnmar "OhMyV33nus" Villaluna's crunch time shotcalling was key to their 6-0 sweep.
Philippines goes clutch against Malaysia
When it comes to the competitive scene, Todak has always been renowned for their unpredictable drafts and their gritty never say die attitude. This was evident in their matchup against Sibol.
Though the Codebreakers prevailed in a 2-0 sweep, both games were no laughing matter as Sibol had to scrape every nail and teeth to finally slay their Malaysian counterparts.
In Game 1, Sibol was overwhelmed by the backline harassment from Wan “4Meyz” Usman’s Khaleed and Idreen “Momo” Bin Abdul Jamalis’ Karrie, which resulted in Salic “Hadji” Imam and Lee Howard “Owl” Gonzales’ demise.
Then they likewise encountered a massive surprise from Mohammad Zul “Xorn” Hisham as his Chou knocked out Danerie James “Wise” Del Rosario.
With this combo, it seemed that Sibol was destined to suffer their first loss. However, they were able to capitalize on the overextensions of their rivals.
Then came the final play on the 21st minute, where OhMyV33nus' shotcalling became a clutch factor as his Angela, who was supporting Wise, allowed him to survive Xorn’s bombardment. This ultimately created space for Sibol to secure the Lord and finish the game.
The same storyline occurred in Game 2, where Sibol seemed overwhelmed by Xorn’s setups as his Franco was able to catch Owl off-guard.
Once again, another set of heroics in the final moments were required. Enter Wise’s stalwart defensive play on the 20th minute, as well as Owl and Dominic “Dominic” Soto’s outplays on the final clash, securing their sweep.
The return of UBE against Laos
Did the close fight against Malaysia prove that Sibol was suffering from jitters and chemistry issues given the long absence of the V33Wise tandem and the lack of LAN experience from Owl and Dominic?
Even Game 1 of their next match exposed the PH team's weaknesses, with Dominic getting picked apart at the early stages of the game, and some perfect hookshots by NaNoShip.
Laos was able to stand their ground. Then came the 14th minute, when Laos bursted down Dominic, thinking that the game was won, until Wise showed up to the party with a triple kill, giving the Philippines the Game 1 win.
While Game 1 was a close encounter, Game 2 was a one-sided stomp as Laos struggled to deal with the team's signature UBE strategy with their Estes pick.
Philippines dismantles Myanmar
Similar to the previous games, Sibol encountered struggles. While Game 1 was smooth sailing as Myanmar failed to deal with their Mathilda and Chou combo, Game 2 was a long battle of attrition. The damage outburst from Lylia and Beatrix, combined with the mobility from Mathilda, initially caused havoc on Sibol’s ranks. However, as in the previous games, Sibol was slowly learning from their foes.
Back-to-back systematic plays on the 19th minute and 22nd minute peeled off key targets, turned the tides of the battle, and dispatched their foes in another 2-0 sweep.
The second game likewise saw the introduction of Russel Aaron "Eyon" Usi who made an impact with his Xavier.