MANILA, Philippines — Complacency will not be in Blacklist International's vocabulary once they suit up for Sibol, the Philippine national esports team, come the 31st Southeast Asian Games set in Hanoi this May.
After past experiences of losing focus and giving up matches to their opponents, the M3 World Champions hope they never have to go through it again.
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"Naranasan na rin namin yung mga pagkakamali namin dati na maging complacent," said Blacklist head coach Bonn "Bon Chan" Ricaplaza.
"And dahil sa mga pagkakamali na yun, siguro hindi na namin mauulit na magkaron kami ulit ng ganung problema," he added.
Deemed as one of the top Mobile Legends: Bang Bang teams in the world, as evidenced by their world championship, it can be easy for the Filipino esport athletes to put their guard down against their regional rivals in Southeast Asia.
But Ricaplaza is hoping against hope that his wards, who are considered gold medal favorites in Hanoi, have learned their lesson.
"Dahil naranasan na namin lahat ng pinakamahirap na maranasan na struggle, never na siguro kaming mapupunta ulit sa pagiging complacent," he said.
Passion for victory
Apart from being complacent, with much success can also come indifference with the idea of winning tournaments that can be considered "lesser" than what you've already conquered.
Having ruled the competition from all over the world, a tournament like the SEA Games can be seen as a downgrade and maybe not as important as the world championships.
But for Blacklist mainstay Danerie "Wise" Del Rosario, no challenge is too small for his team.
And while their fans and the esports community mostly just see their success and wins, Del Rosario says there's more to it than that.
"Di siya nakakasawa, kasi yung mga nakikita lang ng mga tao is yung nanalo kami. Pero hindi nakikita nung tao kung ano yung ginagawa namin sa likod nun," he said.
"Kung ano yung mga sacrifices namin, kung ano yung mga discussion or mga pinagdadaanan namin. So talagang nakakaexcite magtournament and passion din namin lahat," he added.
Blacklist International is a portion of the 64-strong contingent set to represent SIbol in the SEA Games in May.
MLBB is only one of 10 events where the Philippines will be competing.
Other titles where medals will be up for grabs include CrossFire, League of Legends: Wild Rift, and PUBG Mobile.