Plenty of new faces are set to see action under the TNC Pro Team ML banner in the MPL Philippines Season 9 following the announcement of its revamped roster on Tuesday, Jan. 11.
Amateur standouts Jomarie “Escalera” Delos Santos, Robee “Yasuwo” Bryan, Mark “Kramm” Rusiana, and Salman “KingSalman” Macarambon will be reinforcing TNC in the upcoming season.
The four will join the only two holdovers from the previous season in Ben “Benthings” Maglaque and Daniel “SDzyz” Chuu (formerly Chuuu) as the squad hopes to rebound from its dismal last place finish in Season 8.
"After searching for month, analyzing every single applicant, we have found our mythical six. They have answered our call to rise up and become MPL legends. You might know some of them from other Mobile Legends leagues but now is their time to shine in the prestigious professional league of Mobile Legends," said TNC in a statement
"With our new mythical six, we're hoping that this season will be the new beginning we're all excited for. Thank you to everyone who is part of the MLBB scene, our fans, friends, and competitors! Together, with our new roster, let us always rise!".
It is a reunion of some sort for Escalera and Yasuwo who both played under Arkangel Esports in the MPL Season 6 main qualifier. The squad, however, was denied of a slot in the league after falling to Cignal Ultra which was then led by Douglas “ImbaDeejay” Astibe and now ECHO jungler Aaron “Hadess” Lazaro in the Qualifier Finals.
Kramm also suited up for Arkangel last year joining Escalera in numerous title runs in the amateur ranks including Philippine National Esports League Season 2, Palaboy Cup Season 4 and Tambay League Season 14. KingSalman meanwhile previously played for VVV Esports.
TNC, known for its squads in other esports titles like Dota 2, had a forgettable Season 8 when it first ventured to the Mobile Legends professional scene after acquiring the core players of the Work Auster Force team. The team, however, failed to live up to the expectation as it only mustered four victories in 14 games last season.
The Season 8 misfortunes resulted to the team rebuild and the release of its players in Imbadeejay, Adrian "Toshi" Bacallo, Dylan “Light” Catipon, Clarense “Kousei” Guzman, Patrick “P-GOD” Ibarra, and Frediemar “3MarTzy” Serafico and head coach Laurence “Lift” Ruiz.