Expectations are high for Blacklist International and their new Roamer.
Blacklist International’s M5 campaign marks their third straight world championship appearance, but that’s not the case for Renejay Barcase. While he’s no rookie, Renejay has a lot of eyes on him as he enters the biggest Mobile Legends tournament in the world.
To start, Renejay already had big shoes to fill when he debuted as Blacklist’s new Roamer for the MPL Philippines S12. He was stepping in after longtime Roamer and team captain Jonamar “OhMyV33NUS” Villaluna decided to take a break last season.
“Gusto ko naman maglaro at ipakita talaga yung kaya ko,” says Renejay when talking about replacing OhMyV33NUS. Originally known to be an aggressive player, he adapted OhMyV33NUS’ more defensive and supportive playstyle, preserving the team’s identity.
This has led some people to say that he’s been pressured to play like OhMyV33NUS but he says that’s not the case. “Yung mga hero ni V33NUS nagagamit ko naman sa mga scrim. At magkateamates kami. Alam ko at ni V33NUS yun at hindi kami nagcocompete.”
Standing against the best in the world
“Para sa akin, hindi ako naprepresure,” says Renejay. Despite all the prestige and expectations placed on Blacklist’s M5 appearance, Renejay is just taking it in stride. “Pina-practice na namin sa mga scrims namin na tournament mode na siya para mas mababa yung pressure.”
Fully immersing yourself in high-pressure situations is certainly one way of overcoming that hurdle and it seems to be working well for the team. “Parang mas naeenjoy namin yung game kase parang mas mahirap pa yung scrims kaysa sa tournament,” Renejay says jokingly.
Ultimately, it’s up to Renejay and Blacklist to perform to the standards they have set for themselves. “Nakikita ko naman na kaya talaga namin,” says Renejay quite plainly. “Sa data din sa mga scrims namin maganda din ang pinapakita namin. So yung sarli na lang kalaban namin.”
Banner photo by Moonton Games.
Related Stories:
Kairi, After A Year of Success With ONIC Esports
Team Lilgun’s Coach zMitch On The Challenges Of Coaching in a Developing Region
TheOhioBrothers’ SHARK On His Third World Championship Appearance