By: Jan Marcus Montevirgen
Aniel “Master the Basics” couldn’t be prouder of the maturity that Renejay “Renejay” Barcarse showed during Blacklist International’s recent campaign in the M5 World Championship.
Left to fill the shoes of former MPL PH MVP Johnmar “OhMyV33NUS” Villaluna, Renejay stepped up to the challenge by widening his hero pool and working on his leadership skills, allowing Blacklist International to finish third in the world tilt.
“Sa tingin ko talaga si Renejay talaga,” said Master the Basics in an exclusive interview with Tiebreaker Times when asked who among the team improved the most.
The content creator-turned-coach revealed that the coaching staff had already talked to the former Nexplay EVOS star about taking up a much bigger role for the team before the announcement that OhMyV33NUS and Danerie “Wise” Del Rosario would skip MPL PH Season 12.
“Kase since MSC, MSC 2023, noong pumunta kami ng Cambodia, pinakausap ko na siya that time kasi alam na namin na magpapahinga yung VeeWise. Nire-ready na namin siya sa magiging role niya sa team,” revealed Master the Basics.
Master the Basics admitted that Renejay failed to live up to expectations in the recent MPL PH season but proudly said that the EXP laner-turned-roamer has since turned it around in the M5 World Championship.
“Then, pumasok kami sa MPL S12 na hindi niya nakuha yung expectations namin during early practices namin noong MPL S12. Pero yung nakita naming potential sa kanya during MSC nailabas niya naman noong nagstart yung MPL Season 12,” he said.
“Tapos ngayon, lalo niya pang pinatunayan na kaya niya pa rin mag-improve,” Master the Basics continued.
The growth wasn’t limited to the 20-year-old roamer alone. Blacklist International underwent a remarkable transformation over the past few months, gaining valuable experience over the past two tournaments that could only be acquired through challenges.
“Sobrang laki ng pagbabago nila. During MPL, from time to time nag-reremind pa kami sa kanila ng mga bagay na matututunan mo lang by experience. May mga times na may nakakalimutan pa rin sila, unlike noong nasanay na sila, nasanay na silang yung bagay na ‘yon paulit-ulit,” said Master the Basics.
“Dumating kami sa M5 na ready na sila. As in alam na nila kung ano yung mga bagay na dapat nilang gawin. Yung mga habits nila nandon na, yung mga negative things nila during MPL is naalis na nila. Kaya sobrang dami nilang natutunan, ina-apply pa rin nila hanggang ngayon. Then ang next na lang siguro is kung paano pa nila ini-improve yung game nila,” he continued.
Following an impressive performance in the world tilt, Master the Basics believes that the sky’s the limit for this batch of Codebreakers.
