By Arvin Migallos
PHOTO: Trendsmap
Blacklist International's dynamic duo Johnmar 'OhMyV33nus' Villaluna and Danerie James 'Wise' Del Rosario are skipping the upcoming 9th season of Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League-PH to eye for a new achievement: become part of the Sibol MLBB team that will represent the Philippines in the also upcoming 2022 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Hanoi, Vietnam.

OhMyV33nus said in a livestream on Sunday that the 'V33Wise' pair will not completely vanish in the MLBB eSports scene, but will instead attempt to earn seats in Sibol--the country's national MLBB team.

“Starting tomorrow until the Sibol qualifiers, magiging busy kami ulit ni Wise then hopefully makuha natin yung slot sa Sibol kasi I want the Sibol," said Villaluna via livestream.

Aside from 'V33Wise', Blacklist International's roster is currently bannered by MPL-PH S8 Finals MVP Salic 'Hadji' Imam, with two more players completing the lineup as EXP Laner Edward Jay 'Edward' Dapadap and Gold Laner Kiel 'OHEB' Soriano will miss the biennial meet due to age restrictions set by host nation Vietnam.

In the coming months, Blacklist will be working on their synergy and chemistry and will potentially stick to their UBE (ultimate bonding experience) strategy to defend their back-to-back MPL titles, one that also led them to the M3 World Championship last December.

Meanwhile, OhMyV33nus added that 'VeeWise' also considered committing to Sibol on its first edition for the 2019 SEA Games, but were not confident enough to join.

The 2019 SEA Games Sibol composed of:

Kenneth Jane ‘Kenji’ Villa, Karl Gabriel ‘KarlTzy’ Nepomuceno, Carlito ‘Ribo’ Ribo, Jeniel ‘Haze’ Bata-anon, Angelo Kyle 'Pheww’ Arcangel, Allan Sancio ‘Lusty’ Castromayor, Jason Rafael ‘Jay’ Torculas, won the Gold medal in the MLBB category, with KarlTzy, Ribo, Pheww, and Lusty later becoming teammates under Bren Esports which then became M2 World Champions last year.

The 2022 Sibol MLBB roster will try to defend the country's gold medal finish in 2019 when the Philippines hosted the biennial event.