By: Jan Marcus Montevirgen
Aurora head coach Aniel “Master the Basics” Jiandani continues to praise Kiel “OHEB” Soriano and Blacklist International for their performance against Falcons AP.Bren last Sunday, despite their recent defeats.
OHEB, who made his debut in the MPL Philippines Season 14, left a strong impression against the reigning World Champions.
Despite the team’s defeat, OHEB’s performance stood out with a combined KDA of two kills, three assists, and two deaths, catching the eye of his former coach.
“Malupit pa rin si OHEB. Laning wise, stat wise, nakita namin yung stats niya after ng game. Nandoon pa din yung potential, yung dating laro niya,” said Master the Basics in an exclusive interview with Tiebreaker Times.
However, the former Blacklist International coach also highlighted areas where the team needs improvement. He noted that it’s not just OHEB that needs to develop further, but the entire team must work on their chemistry to reach their full potential.
“Siguro hindi lang basta si OHEB yung kailangan mag-improve. Kailangan nilang i-improve yung chemistry ng team. Yung magiging synch yung lima para atleast mag-shine talaga sila,” he added, underscoring the importance of teamwork and synergy.
Despite their loss to Falcons AP.Bren, Master the Basics still felt impressed with how Blacklist International competed against the world champions. He suggested that the team should stick to their current lineup unless a substitute shows significant improvement.
“Kung i-base sa naging laro nila kanina, mas maganda talaga yung laro nila kanina. So, magandang mag-stick na sila talaga ‘don. Unless may mag-perform talaga sa kabila. Before kase kapag may nag-perform talaga sa kabilang unit (na maganda) tina-try talaga namin na ipasok sa first unit,” he explained explained.
“Pero kung sila sa tingin nila na ito na yung best lineup na best para sa isa’t isa, tingin ko goods na. Pero ako kase, kung i-base ko yung peformance nila against Bren, mas maganda yung naging laro nila kanina.”
Reflecting on Blacklist’s current 10-man roster, Master the Basics acknowledged the challenges of maintaining such a lineup, especially if the coaching staff is understaffed.
Drawing from his own experience during his time with Blacklist International in Season 12, he shared that they had four coaching staff members who were split into two groups to manage the 10-man roster effectively.
This strategic approach eventually paid off, earning them a spot in the M5 World Championships.
“Based sa experience namin noong 10-man kami before, hindi talaga madaling i-ready yung dalawang team, lalo na kung kulang yung coaching staff. Before kase noong nandoon kami, hindi ko alam kung kulang coaching staff nila ngayon. Pero parang sakto lang,” the Aurora coach shared.
“Pero before kase noon, lima kaming coaching staff, then hinati namin yung coaching staff pati players. Ngayon, hindi ko kase alam kung yung 10-man nila is ganon pa rin. Kung ganon pa rin ‘yon, tingin ko mahahanap nila yung timpla nila,” he added.
“Kase sa 10-man namin before na may dalawang sets ng coaching staff, naka-abot kami ng M-Series. So kung yun pa rin yung pattern or blueprint na ginagamit nila ngayon, tingin ko makaka-bounce back pa talaga sila.”
