AICHI, Japan — The Philippine esports national team, Sibol, is set to begin its title quest at the 20th Asian Games, with its Pokémon UNITE team kicking off action on Friday, September 25, at the Aichi Sky Expo.
The Pokémon UNITE roster—comprising Team Nemesis players Kim Rey Salazar, Michael Vaughn Ocio, Ducke Leoncio, Lawrence Gatmaitan, Robert Mempin, and Lance David—enters the tournament carrying momentum from a recent World Championships run under coach Albert Camp.
Coach Camp acknowledged the expectations surrounding the squad following their world stage performance while emphasizing the need for tactical discipline.
“Sa performance namin last month sa World Championship, kami ata ang pinaghahandaan nilang lahat. Pero hindi ako overconfident. Ayaw ko i-underestimate ang kalaban at patuloy kami sa mga surprise draft at sisiguraduhin namin na nasa right state of mind kami,” Camp said.
Supported by the Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Olympic Committee, Sibol will first test Kazakhstan at 11:50 a.m. on Friday. The team will then battle Chinese Taipei at 9:00 a.m. and Malaysia at 2:40 p.m. on Saturday, September 26.
Camp expressed confidence in their group stage draw given their history with their opponents.
“Maganda para sa amin ang bracket namin. Nakalaban na namin ang Chinese Taipei at Malaysia multiple times over the past four years,” Camp noted.
“Sa Pokémon UNITE game, mabilis mabaliktad ang laro. So ang expectation namin ay maging handa din sa mga ipapakitang surprise strategy ng kalaban. For us to achieve this, kailangan namin maging in-sync with proper communication and right state of mind during the games para makuha ang gold,” he added.
Meanwhile, the heavily favored Sibol Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) roster landed at their Tokyo bootcamp ahead of the game’s official Asiad premiere on Tuesday, September 29.
The MLBB squad features core players from M-series world champion Team Liquid—headed by veteran Karl Nepomuceno alongside Sanford Vinuya, Alston Pabico, Jaypee Dela Cruz, and Dave Viaña—with Onic Esports’ Duane Pillas reinforcing the roster.
Considered a strong gold medal contender for the entire Philippine delegation, Sibol MLBB will compete against Kazakhstan and Jordan in the pool stage.