 |
| Photo from Smart Omega's Facebook page |
by Drew Malihan
MANILA - The doctor is in for the Barangay.
Smart Omega's retooled roster adds a much-needed firepower with the inclusion of two Hall of Legends inductees as they unveiled their roster on Thursday.
Duane "Kelra" Pillas remained as the only holdover from their Season 11 squad as he will take on a more flexible role for the team.
The roster reveal saw the return of Patrick "E2MAX" Caidic as a player after being the squad's assistant coach last season, as well as the reactivation of Joshua "Ch4knu" Mangilog to the active player role after sitting out last season.
The addition of Carlito "Ribo" Ribo Jr. to Smart Omega headline the new arrivals for the team, with the seasoned player returning to the MPL scene after a brief stint with ZOL Esports in the MPL.
Jomari "Jowm" Pingol, formerly of Bren Esports and Team Lunatix, and Nowee "Ryota" Macasa, formerly of Laus Playbook Esports and ONIC Philippines, will add more veteran presence to the team.
Rookies Andrew "Andoryuuu" Flora, formerly of Gentle Giants, and The Greatest Gamer winner Ezequiel "Spideeey" Caulian wrapped up the player lineup.
Ronel "Stronger" Tan will be the new head coach for the squad, with him having recently played for the organization's Wild Rift team in the past.
Omega will try to have a better Season 12 after a back-to-back 5th-6th finish, the last one ending in a clean 3-0 sweep at the hands of eventual finalists Blacklist International.
Follow him on X: @drew_corner
.jpg)
