Jeniel "Haze" Bata-anon is officially back to the Aether House as Nexplay Esports unveiled the acquisition of the veteran player on Monday night, July 8.
Haze, 25, is expected to fill the void left by support Dexter "Exort" Martinez for the upcoming MPL Philippines Season 8.
"We are excited to announce and welcome Haze to Nexplay Esports! His extensive game knowledge and experience brought about (by) his previous achievements... will surely be of great value to the team!" the organization said in a statement posted on its official Facebook page.
"We're looking forward to your next achievements with us!" added the org founded by Gabriel Benito.
One of the long-standing icons in the PH Mobile Legends pro scene, Haze proved instrumental in the inaugural MPL championship of Aether Main coached by Setsuna "Dogie" Ignacio.
Bren Esports then acquired Aether Main and the soft-spoken pro stayed with the franchise for three more seasons before moving to Sterling Global Dragons (SGD) which rebranded to Smart Omega.
Haze boasts of numerous titles on his resume besides the first MPL crown. He was a champion in MPC 2017, MSC 2018 and SEACA 2018 as well as a gold medalist in the 2019 SEA Games.
He helped Omega finish runner-up to Bren in the MPL Season 6, enabling them to secure a spot in the M2 World Championship earlier this year wherein they reached the playoffs.
Haze and the rest of Omega went their separate ways after the Smart-backed organization decided to release its full roster on Friday night following an early exit in the playoffs of MPL Season 7.
He will be reuniting with Dogie in NXP where he is tabbed to provide his veteran experience to the team featuring the "Big Three" of John Paul "H2wo" Salonga, Renejay "RENEJAY" Barcarse and Tristan "Yawi" Cabrera.
READ: Renejay still 'undecided' in Nexplay EVOS; Dogie hints at roster change in NXP for 'franchise-based' MPL Philippines Season 8