ON HIS YouTube vlog, Execration’s Billy “Z4pnu” Alfonso announced a rumored lineup for the Mobile Legends medal event in the 2021 Southeast Asian Games.
He said that he had a meeting with current Bren Esports coach Francis “Duckeyyy” Glindro last Monday, May 17, to discuss a rumored shortlist of players for the upcoming SEA Games.
You can start watching the segment at 8:23 in the video.
Z4pnu is confident that Nexplay’s John Paul “H2wo” Salonga will serve as the national ML team’s midlaner. H2wo currently tops the kills count during the regular season, amassing 180 in that department.
During the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Invitational, Salonga’s skills caught the attention of Z4pnu, who planned to integrate him into Execration’s lineup. In the video, the longtime MPL vet revealed that getting H2wo would address the lack of assertiveness from their previous midlaner, Kenneth “Mark” Delos Reyes.
Unfortunately, this never materialized, as Nexplay’s Setsuna “AkoSi Dogie” Ignacio wanted Execration to not just snap up H2wo, but also Renejay “Renejay” Barcarse. This lineup would relegate Duane “Kelraaa” Pillas as a substitute player.
Z4pnu said that he hesitated to call up H2wo alongside Renejay, as that would hamper the progress of Kelraaa. He never regretted his decision, as Kelraaa’s experience gave him the confidence to perform well in the recently concluded MPL-PH S7 regular season.
Going back to the national team, Z4pnu also expressed his desire that Kelraaa be selected as part of the national team — an unlikely prospect, since Pillas is below the age requirement.
On tank, Execration teammate Joshua “Ch4knu” Mangilog and Bren Esports’ Allan “Lusty” Castromayor were considered, though Z4pnu is fully confident that Ch4knu will get the nod over his Bren counterpart.
Other disclosed names included Aura's Benedict “Bennyqt” Gonzales for the gold lane, Execration's Renz “Renzio” Cadua for the exp lane, and Bren's Angelo Kyle “Pheww” Arcangel for the support position. Pheww was part of the gold medal team in the last SEA Games.
By the tail end of the video, Z4pnu explained his thoughts on why Danerie James “Wise” Del Rosario may not be chosen for the final roster.
He pointed out that Wise needed Johnmar “OhMyV33nus” Villaluna’s guidance to succeed. He also said that Wise doesn’t have the flexibility needed for the SEA Games since he is more comfortable playing as a marksman than an assassin.
As MPL-PH Season 7 moves into its postseason and the SEA Games nears, rumors have been circling around on who will potentially make the final cut to defend the country’s ML gold. The upcoming MPL-PH S7 playoffs and the 2021 Mobile Legends Southeast Asia Cup could provide further assessment as to who will end up representing the country in the Southeast Asian Games.
Spin.ph has reached out to representatives of the Philippine Esports Organization for comment on national team rosters.
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