Angelo “Pheww” Arcangel is on track to become the only two-time gold medalist in the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang event of the Southeast Asian Games.
The 23-year-old mid laner captained the SIBOL men’s national ML:BB team that won the first-ever gold medal in Manila back in 2019.
Pheww missed the cut in the 2022 SEA Games after Bren Esports only managed to reach the lower bracket quarterfinals of the national team qualifiers. However, he managed to make his SIBOL comeback after steering his team to the top of the 2023 SEA Games qualifiers.
The two-time MPL Philippines champion said that he is thrilled about the possibility of clinching his second gold medal in the biennial meet. No other player has ever achieved this feat in ML:BB’s three appearances in the SEA Games.
“Sa possibility ng second gold medal ano, sobrang exciting kasi kung sakaling makuha namin yung gold medal parang ako pa lang yung player sa MLBB na [may] dalawang gold medal,” Pheww said during MOONTON Games and PESO’s joint press conference, Friday.
Pheww, who is one of only two players in the squad with international experience, confidently expressed that he feels no pressure as they look to continue the Philippines’ dominance in the event by winning the country’s third consecutive gold medal.
(C) MPL PH
“Para sa akin ano, ‘di na kasi first time sa akin mag-represent ng Philippines e. Nung 2019 na-represent ko na rin siya kaya ‘di ganun kabigat yung pressure sa akin,” said Pheww, who will once again captain the national squad.
The team is composed of Bren Esports’ Kyle “KyleTzy” Sayson, David Charles “FlapTzy” Canon, Rowgien “Owglen” Unigo, and Stephen “Super Marco” Requitano, and ONIC PH’s Nowee “Ryota” Macasa.
ML:BB powerhouse Indonesia, as well as Malaysia, will be bannered by a selection of their top MPL stars and will once again pose as the biggest threats to the Philippines’ three-peat bid. Meanwhile, Myanmar will be composed of Falcon Esports players, while Vietnam and Singapore will field MDH Esports and RSG Slate SG, respectively. On the other hand, Cambodia will parade a team consisting of players from Burn X Flash and CFU Gaming.
The event, which will be held at NagaWorld, will begin on May 11 and run until May 14.
