After a match-fixing scandal hounded its former roster, MPL-affiliated team Twisted Minds PH had to let go of all its players in MDL Philippines.
Having to forfeit one of their matches, the organization was forced to come up with a roster as soon as possible.
In a surprising twist of events, the team tapped the all-female roster of Blacklist International x ZOL Esports to represent them in the developmental league, marking the first-ever all-female ML:BB pro team in the country.
In an exclusive interview, Twisted Minds PH Team Manager John Paolo ‘Sandata’ Bago and head coach Kristoffer “BON CHAN” Ricaplaza shared details on how the team came up with the decision.
“We wanted to go with a team that we could very clearly see was trustworthy. We had to look at competitive integrity. And then we also had to look at the ability to compete,” Bago said.
“So when we were going through our options, it became clear that going with a known quantity was going to be our best choice. I already had it in my mind to contact Blacklist.”
Bago contacted the team’s CEO, Tryke Gutierrez, and their chief gaming officer, Arjay Domdom, to clear things up and discuss the transition with all the involved parties. Within almost a week, everything was smoothly addressed.
Given the urgency and sensitivity of the situation, plus the coaches’ recommendations, they had to go with a reputable partner and players that their coaches can also vouch for.
“Saan kami makakakuha ng team na mayroon nang bootcamp? ‘Yung may maayos na org na nag-hahandle sa kanila? Hindi naman ipinagbabawal ‘yung girls sa MPL. Why not i-recommend ko kung gusto nilang sumali, ‘di ba?” Ricaplaza responded.
“We also started looking sa collegiate, because I believe in developing young talent. But unfortunately given the demanding schedule of the professional circuit, because MDL is considered a professional circuit, we couldn’t commit with a collegiate roster,” Bago added.
However, the organization’s MPL and MDL teams have yet to play scrims or practice playing against each other, according to BON CHAN.
“Wala pa kasi biglaan lang din ‘yun. Hindi pa kami nakapag-set pero looking forward siguro, gusto ko ‘din maturuan ‘yung MDL. Si MP (Michael ‘MPtheKing’ Endino) din, gusto din maturuan ‘yung MDL team namin for improvement, para totally maka-palag pagdating ng playoffs.”
With this new partnership, the organization is hopeful of its bid in developing young talents of the next generation of ML:BB in the Philippines.
“The Philippine server, we’re not the richest server, but we are the championship server. This is the server where players really become world-class threats. So in the future we would like to put together our own academy team, develop our own talent in-house, but I cannot give you a timeline yet on that. But that’s something that we are obviously planning and obviously would want to happen,” Bago affirmed.
“This is where talent becomes sharpened to the point that we become global threats.”
