Why ONIC PH Kept Their Roster Untouched For MPL-PH S9
The pre-season for MPL-PH Season 9 is perhaps the most shocking pre-season of all of MPL-PH to date.
We had the world-class duo of Johnmar “OhMyV33nus” Villaluna and Danerie James “Wise” Del Rosario of Blacklist International announce that they’ll be temporarily sitting out an entire season to focus on other aspects of their lives. We also had CJ “Ribo” Ribo, considered the GOAT of MPL-Philippines, announce that he too will be resting for an entire season. Apart from several decorated players announcing their intentions to rest for the upcoming season, several rookies from the highest level of Philippine amateur play were officially signed by professional squads trying to rebuild after a poor-performing MPL-PH Season 8.
In light of these big trades, excellent rookie acquisitions, and sudden hiatuses, one team remains the same for MPL-PH Season 9– ONIC Philippines. This is why ONIC PH kept their roster untouched for S9:
via ONIC PH
Trust Among Brothers and Undying Passion
“We are very confident entering s9 with the same roster. We don’t need to change! Everything in ONIC PH is absolutely fine,” Denver “Coach Yeb” Miranda explains.
With complete trust in the same squad he coached in MPL-PH Season 8 and the M3 World Championships, the positive results of both of those runs urged Coach Yeb to keep the line-up the same, even when opportunities to change it sprung up during the pre-season.
Despite coming up short of the championship in both of the aforementioned runs, Coach Yeb is determined to keep the fire inside his ONIC PH roster alive–simply by reminding them that they’re not competing for 2nd place, but for championship trophies.
The Yin and Yang of World-class Shotcalling
“If magiging straight to the point kasi ako, sa totoo lang walang team na nahihirapan ako basahin yung map movement and decision making kundi si Venus,” Allen “Baloyskie” Baloy shares his sentiments about Blacklist International’s shotcaller, OhMyV33nus. “Kaya sa ngayon siguro habang hindi pa simula yung season wala pa ko nilolook up,” Baloyskie adds.
With OhMyV33nus out for MPL-PH Season 9, there’s no doubt that Baloyskie is currently the most experienced shot-caller in the entire league. During the M3 World Championships, his leadership dissected the best teams from all the other regions they faced during the entirety of the tournament–only falling to fellow PH representative, Blacklist International in the finals.
Improvement, Dedication, and Mystery
Both Coach Yeb and Team Captain Baloyskie believe that everyone in the current ONIC PH roster improved after the M3 World Championships.
Baloyskie even mentions that their loss in the finals of the M3 World Championships against Blacklist International made their team better. Better in a way that teams would find it harder to read the already obscured strategies of ONIC PH.
Coach Yeb on the other hand says, “I don’t know what we can offer, let’s just see when MPL starts.”
With several accomplishments both in the local and international scene of MLBB esports, there’s no denying that Coach Yeb is truly a world-class coach who refuses to give anything out to the public, stating that ONIC PH will always be full of surprises.
MPL-PH Season 9 starts this February 18, 2022. Check out https://ph-mpl.com/ for the updated match schedules, features, and other events!
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