The state of the Singaporean MLBB pro scene and working at Team Liquid PH — highlights from the new 8G podcast with Aeon and SN4P

Team Liquid PH coach Ong Wei “Aeon” Shen and his assistant Allek Monser “SN4P” Alvarado Alberto appeared on the latest episode of the 8G podcast. Here’s a quick rundown of the highlights in our article.

The coach shared that he first launched Mobile Legends: Bang Bang while serving in the military. He had previously been into first-person shooters, but due to the lack of a computer, he decided to try his hand at the new game. The more the Singaporean learned about MLBB, the more he wanted to become an esports player.

After some time, Aeon assembled a team of friends, with whom he performed well in ranked matches and farmed stars. With this same roster, the players registered for the open qualifiers for MPL MY/SG Season 1—they won the qualifier and thus launched their professional careers.

By early 2021, Aeon had participated in six seasons of the MPL MY/SG and competed in the M2 World Championship. At that point, he decided to end his career and find a job in the real world. The Singaporean continued to follow tournaments and occasionally appeared in them as a stand-in. However, it was only recently that he decided to return to the pro scene and became a coach for Team Liquid PH.

According to the coach’s recollections, teams from Singapore and Malaysia used to play in the same leagues. However, after the M2 World Championship, they were separated. Because of this, Singaporean esports began to lag far behind the Philippine and Indonesian scenes. On top of that, sponsors see no point in investing in the development of the local pro scene due to the high costs compared to other regions. Aeon stated that many Singaporean players now view esports not as their main activity, but as a side job.

The coach enjoys working at Team Liquid PH—the players perform excellently in their roles, and the club staff provide every possible support. In turn, Aeon and SN4P are giving it their all for the team’s success, and it’s paying off. The Singaporean also noted the organization’s willingness to take risks and select esports players with high potential instead of established stars.

The expert explained that it’s easy to find common ground with Team Liquid PH players. They are very eager to win, and on top of that, they have virtually no bad habits. According to SN4P, members of the coaching staff need to demonstrate hard work and a desire to improve—only then will the players begin to trust them. The Filipino is a skilled drafter—which is why Team Liquid PH signed him. At first, the team didn’t understand SN4P’s logic, but it was thanks to the assistant coach’s decisions that they secured victory at the Asian Games.

Aeon recalled that when he first joined Team Liquid PH, he was struck by the esports players’ packed schedule. He decided to change the team’s schedule and give the players more time to rest. Now, team members can cancel some scrims if they feel they’ve already met their goals or practiced enough.

In the previous episode of the 8G Podcast, hosts Denisse Valdesanch and Thea Franco discussed the challenges of adapting to the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and commented on the community’s attention toward commentators.

Photo — Ong Wei “Aeon” Shen.