Team Sibol
Sibol MLBB Men’s and Women’s Team
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines’ national esports team, Sibol, secured a gold and a silver medal in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games as the men’s and women’s rosters for the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) and finished first and second in their divisions, respectively.
Both rosters ended the preliminary rounds at the top of their respective groups. The men’s squad dominated the “Group of Death”, taking down top competitors Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Laos, while the women’s team swept through Thailand, Vietnam and Laos.
With both lineups facing Indonesia in the semifinals, both squads trounced their rivals, 3-1, to assure themselves of at least a silver finish. Meanwhile, on the other side of the bracket, Malaysia also secured both men’s and women’s finals berths against Myanmar.
First up for the old was the men’s roster against Malaysia. Sibol wasted no time in getting a 2-0 advantage, with both games seeing a strong display. Game 3 saw a comeback win on the side of Sibol, which back from a 10k gold deficit and a 1-12 kill score to propel them to match point.
In Game 4, Sibol had already seen through Malaysia’s strategy against its marksman gold pick, maximizing its comfort heroes and securing the gold medal with a clean 4-0 sweep.
The women’s roster, for its part, faced an uphill battle. The opening games saw both Malaysia and Philippines not giving up on the gold medal without a fight, both taking a game from each other. Game 5 had Sibol power through Malaysia’s key plays to move one win away from the gold.
But its their backs against the wall, Malaysia relied on its comfort heroes to not only force a deciding Game 7 but to also take the gold medal as it survived Sibol, 4-3.
The wins reasserted the Philippines’ continued dominance in MLBB, with the country adding another two medals to its MLBB medal collection and bringing the country’s total esports medal count to 17.
Sibol’s campaign continues with the final esports event of the SEA Games—the men’s Arena of Valor—beginning Thursday.
About the Author
