Season 13 was a tall mountain to climb for Blacklist and coach BON CHAN but they prevailed in the end.
Blacklist International and coach Kristoffer “BON CHAN” Ricaplaza have had a rough MPL S13 regular season, there’s no denying that. Despite a promising start the team started slipping in the standings and just barely made the playoffs. Not a good look for one of the most prestigious teams in the MPL.
A common criticism Blacklist got throughout the season was that they looked lost and uncoordinated in game. When you consider that the team had to essentially rebuild itself twice, that criticism makes a lot of sense. With the loss of the V33Wise power duo last season and shotcaller Renejay Barcase this season, there’s been a lot of shuffling around for Blacklist.
“Yung formula na ginamit namin kung saan umabot kami sa finals, triny namin sa new lineup na ito. And unfortunately hindi siya nag-work, kahit sino man pinasok namin,” said coach BON CHAN. It was at this point that the coaching staff had to ask a very important question: ‘ano ba talaga yung bagong identity ng team na ito?’
By starting with a fresh slate, coach BON CHAN was able to give the players the space they needed to discover their team dynamic. “Dun namin sila binigyan ng freedom para laruin ang gusto nilang gameplay. And yun, ang gusto nilang gameplay ay maging aggressive.”
Past Performance Informs the Future
Despite the difficulties coach BON CHAN faced in the MPL S13, he doesn’t consider this to be Blacklist’s hardest season. For him he considers that to be the infamous season nine, where the team ended the season with an atrocious 3-11 match record.
“Ang hirap talaga noon,” said the coach with a smile now that there’s a gulf of time between then and now. “Naaalala ko pa yung struggle ng lahat ng ginawa namin para makapasok sa playoffs. Dumating sa point na nagchi-cheer na lang kami sa mga maglalaban na team. At dahil na experience na namin yun, ayaw namin mangyari yun ulit.”
It can be said then that this memory is what drives Blacklist to keep leveling up, especially during playoffs. Every team has fallen victim to ‘playoffs mode’ Blacklist and now the whole league is keeping an eye on them.
All the more for Blacklist to not let up now that momentum is on their side. “Hind kami magpapabayad kasi lahat ng mga team ay nagi-improve, lahat yan nagpre-prepare,” said BON CHAN. “Di namin ibababa yung guard namin.”
Banner photo from MOONTON Games.
Related Stories:
Blacklist’s Oheb: “Hindi kami takot mag-try ng kung ano-anong heroes at laruin sa MPL.”
Blacklist International Has Money on Their Mind as They Enter MPL PH S13