by Kirstin Malinao || Photo credits: ONE Esports

Conquering the rematch, SIBOL managed to safeguard their crown after emerging victorious against Indonesia, 3-1, in the 31st Southeast Asian Games Mobile Legends: Bang Bang event last May 20, 2022. 

The SIBOL MLBB team was comprised of veterans from Blacklist International, which included Johnmar “OhMyV33nus” Villaluna, Danerie “Wise” Del Rosario, Salic “Hadji” Imam, and Dexter “DEX STAR” Alaba. Newly minted rookies Howard “Owl” Gonzales, Kyle “Dominic” Soto, and Russel “Eyon” Usi completed the lineup.

Meanwhile, the Philippine team’s opponent in the finals, Team Indonesia, was composed of professionals from a variety of well-known groups. Their roster included Albert “Alberttt” Neilsen Iskandar, “Vyn” Calvin, and Rivaldi “R7” Fatah from RRQ Hoshi; Calvin “CW” Winata, “Sanz” Gilang, and Nicky “Kiboy” Fernando Pontonuwu from ONIC Esports; and “Luminaire” Ihsan Besari Kusudana from EVOS Legends.

The event consisted of two stages: commencing with the group stage wherein the top 2 teams from each group would qualify for the finals. The group stage divides the 7 teams, representing seven countries, into two sets. The groups in each set would compete, with group A having 4 teams and group B having 3. In group A, the Philippines and Malaysia were able to qualify after overthrowing Myanmar and Laos. On the other hand, group B had Indonesia and Singapore move on to the next stage after Vietnam suffered from no wins.

The final stage was in a Best-of-3 format, followed by a grand final with a Best-of-5. The semi-finals ended with the Philippines winning over Singapore, 2-1, and Indonesia thwarting Malaysia with 2-0. The two teams then played four games, with SIBOL claiming first place, 3-1. Indonesia and Singapore came in second and third, respectively.