Filipinos rise to the occasion in upcoming MSC

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines has surpassed its previous record as the most represented country in a Mobile Legends Bang Bang (MLBB) international competition with 41 Filipinos set to compete in the upcoming MLBB Mid-Season Cup (MSC) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The trend of Filipino imports started in 2022 and culminated with the M4 World Championship seeing the top six teams all having either a Filipino coach or player.

The following year, the M5 World Championship saw the Philippines once again being the most represented country with 23 out of 114 players being Filipino or having Filipino descent, and 10 coaches, binging the total Filipino participation to 33.

In the upcoming MSC, Filipino participation has grown once more with 26 out 115 players being Filipino, making up 23% of the entire player population. Counting the coaches and analysts, that number goes up to 41 Filipinos, with 18 out of 23 teams having a Filipino member.

"Sobrang [saya] para sa side natin kasi na-acknowledge ng ibang bansa yung mga players and [coaches natin]. Doon pa lang nakikita natin yung potential talaga. Yung mga Filipinos around the world," said Team Liquid ECHO's coach Archie “Tictac” Reyes.

Speaking to members of the media before during the send-off of Philippine teams Team Liquid ECHO and Falcons AP Bren, Philippine Esports Organization (PESO) Executive Director Marlon Marcelo extended the organization's support to all Filipinos participating in the coming MSC.

"To both of our teams na lilipad, sa Falcons [AP Bren] and sa [Team] Liquid Echo, congratulations. We also extend our support to, of course, dun sa mga Filipino OFW athletes natin na naglalaro sa iba't-ibang teams na, of course, sa iba't-ibang bansa na nakikipaglaban. Malaki rin yung, sabihin natin, malaki yung pagtitiis nila and, of course, yung ginagawa nilang risk for playing outside their comfort zones outside the country just to make sure lang they achieve their dreams. Tandaan natin lahat tayo Filipino. Laban Pinas!" said Marcelo.

The MSC group stages will begin on July 3 with Falcons AP Bren taking on Chinese team, Xianyou Gaming at 4pm (Manila time) with Team Liquid ECHO facing Saudi Arabia's Twisted Minds at 7 p.m. (Manila time).