Photo from MPL Philippines / Richard Esguerra |
by Drew Malihan
QUEZON CITY - Three current ECHO players, two current Blacklist International members, and a player each from AP.Bren and Smart Omega composed the seven nominees from MPL Philippines for the M5 World Championship's Ten Greatest Players.
The unveiling of the nominees were done after the MPL Philippines Season 12 awards show earlier on Saturday prior to the lower bracket finals matchup between ECHO and Blacklist International.
Karl Gabriel "KarlTzy" Nepomuceno led the roster of the nominees, being the only two-time M-World Series champion so far, while teammates Benedict "Bennyqt" Gonzales and Tristan "Yawi" Cabrera joined the fray, being integral piece to the Orcas' M4 championship roster.
Blacklist was also well-represented, with Edward Jay "Edward" Dapadap and Salic "Hadji" Imam getting the nomination as well, as Edward continued to pile up for his already loaded accolades, and Hadji partaking in two M-World Series for both Blacklist and Smart Omega.
The aforementioned Barangay squad was represented with Carlito "Ribo" Ribo Jr., getting his nod as he grabbed all the possible team and invidiual accolades possible wrapped by an M2 championship for Bren Esports, while former teammate and current AP.Bren captain Angelo "Pheww" Arcangel gettint the recognition as well, with him being the only two-time SEA Games gold medalist.
Five of the seven nominees were Hall of Legends in MPL Philippines, as well as former Southeast Asian Games gold medalist, while two, KarlTzy and Bennyqt, grabbed the MVP award in their M-World Series campaigns.
The seven will join fellow Filipino Kairi "Kairi" Rayosdelsol, who was nominated for his accolades in both M3, MSC 2023, and MPL Indonesia, as well as other nominees from various regions who made significant impact in the world stage.
Meanwhile, M3 MVP Kiel "Oheb" Soriano, as well as teammates Johnmar "OhMyV33nus" Villanuna, and Danerie "Wise" del Rosario were among the notable snubs.
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