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EVOS Legends speak about Indonesia’s dominance at M1

Both Indonesian teams advanced to the upper bracket final without breaking a sweat.

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It was no surprise that EVOS Legends, along with Rex Regum Qeon (RRQ) blew away Todak and Burmese Ghouls 2-0 respectively. They were strong favourites coming into the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang World Championship but have proven they are a tier above the rest of the regions.

Thus far, both teams have only dropped one game in the tournament and they aren’t lifting their foot off the pedal. When asked about their upcoming upper bracket match against archrivals RRQ, EVOS Legends’ Eko “Oura” Julianto said, “It’s great that we get to meet them again, but the key thing is that Indonesia is currently number one.”

M1 bracket end of day 1

The M1 playoffs bracket after Day 1's matches.

EVOS Legends and RRQ aren’t strangers to each other as the former triumphed 3-1 during the MPL-ID Season 4 grand final. Oura admited that they have a slight mental advantage over their next opponents, but they cannot afford to underestimate RRQ. “The danger is being overconfident because anything can happen in MLBB.”

EVOS kept mum about their strategies but Oura revealed that they work hard in training to be solid in every aspect of the game. Despite their serious gameplan for the tournament, they approach every game with a relaxed mentality.

“When you’re going to tournaments, you win or lose based on your mental stats. It’s about showing up on the day itself. So, what works for us is to enjoy ourselves and have fun,” shared Bjorn “Zeys” Ong, EVOS Legends’ soft-spoken coach.

EVOS M1

EVOS Legends poses with the number 1 sign.

That slight nonchalance has done wonders for the team as they have dominated most of the teams in their way, with only Japan’s 10s Gaming Plus giving them a run for their money.

Oura also attributed the strength of the Indonesian teams to the support from their government as well as the Indonesian MLBB community. Zeys added that the esports infrastructure in Indonesia is better compared to other regions. “There are proper structures. For example, organisations have come in, there’s a franchised league with weekly games and a proper regiment for players to stick to. It shouldn’t be surprising that, overall, our scene is the most developed in Southeast Asia.”

For Zeys, talent is important, but the key to the Indonesian teams flourishing is a structured system where players can work well with organisations and there is support across all aspects of the MLBB esports ecosystem.

MLBB EVOS

EVOS Legends had an impressive record during the Group Stages.

Zeys gave further insight into how EVOS Legends functioned when in a match. “From drafting to strategy, I dictate, with input from the team, what happens for the first six minutes. After that, we employ a ‘democratic shot-calling system.’"

“Everyone leads together. There is no fixed shot-caller as everyone offers input,” Oura chipped in. For the team, each decision is made as a collective. At various points in game, different players might have more say – for example, the tanks regarding early game rotations – but it’s largely a loose system where trust and communication are vital to the team’s success. Interestingly, EVOS Legends is the only MPL-ID team with only five players in their roster – they don’t have substitutes.

However, Oura shared that when they enter a game, they aren’t playing as a five-man team. “Actually, in a game, we are seven players because we feel that Zeys and our analyst are such core components in our team. Zeys’ vision is to bring out the best in us. Everyone is clear about it. We are all willing to follow his instructions. We trust him!"  

For Zeys, one of the pioneering coaches in the MLBB esports scene, his role is to give direction to the team. “Pro players nowadays are pretty young, and don’t have experience in a working environment where they have to learn to work as a team. That’s extremely difficult. Everyone has ideas and it's the coach’s role to resolve all these potential conflicts.”
EVOS RRQ M1

But the role hasn’t come without its own set of challenges. Being Singaporea, Zeys says that overcoming the language barrier has been difficult. “When you translate certain things, its meaning might be lost. And extra time is spent trying to be communicated properly. It does take patience.”

Nevertheless, that obstacle didn’t stop Zeys from coaching the team to the MPL-ID Season 4 title. Judging from the team’s current form and confidence, they are frontrunners to be crowned the best team in the world come Nov 17. The players are pumped up and focused, but not overly stressed. Their overall calm and composed attitude complements their individual talent as well as teamwork. This may be the edge that the Indonesian squad has over their opponents as we enter the Day 2 of the M1 Playoffs.

AUTHOR

Benedict Tan

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