A near flawless performance bodes well for the Blacklist International’s playoff future.
The inaugural season of the Philippines Kings League just concluded with Blacklist’s Juschie and squad as the top dogs in Philippine Honor of Kings. The storied Filipino esports organization pulled off a 14-0 match record, with only two game losses the entire season.
Jungler and team captain Justin “Juschie” Tan credit the team’s domination to the intense practice they get with other teams. “Dun kami nakaka-gain ng experience and lessons, so na-feel ko na kaya namin mag perfect run sa PKL.”
“Madugo talaga yung practice namin sa mga ibang teams,” continued Blacklist’s Juschie. He mentions that they’ve been scrimming with other top HoK teams from different regions. The Philippines is still new to the competitive HoK esports, so practicing against some of the best is the fastest way for them to catch up with the scene.
Of course, Blacklist are already familiar with high-level HoK since they made a deep run in the Honor of Kings Invitational earlier this year. They were denied a grand finals appearance after falling to Nongshim Redforce in a heartbreaking seven-game reverse sweep.
“Andami ding mali nangyari sa series na yun,” reflects Blacklist’s Juschie. “Parang tinama namin lahat yun [para sa PKL]. And since umabot kami ng top four, feeling ko naka-gain kami ng confidence after ng tournament na yun. Kaya ganito yung performance namin ngayon.”
A Clear Shot to the Top
In any case, Blacklist’s experience has clearly set them apart from the other teams in the PKL. They can bleed, but it doesn’t seem like anyone can stop them from becoming the PKL’s first champions.
“Hoping na ganun, pero ayaw ko madaliin. Baka nga ma-jinx ko,” said Blacklist’s Juschie, keeping his confidence in check with a smile.
Although among the playoff teams, Juschie believes that BOOM Esports are the ones that can give the biggest challenge. The Indonesia-based organization did secure second place in the PKL regular season, which is somewhat unexpected for a team that failed to get into the Invitational.
Juschie however is unsurprised. “Maganda naman yung performance nila kaso hindi sila consistent. Siguro kulang lang sila ng experience kasi bago yung mga ibang players nila. So ngayon, hindi ako surprised na top two sila. Confident din ako sa mga kaya nilang gawin. May respeto ako sa mga skills nila.”
Banner photo by Ramon Domingo.