Lyceum of the Philippines University just laid out its blueprint for a successful Esports team that produced two straight championships in the Collegiate Center for Esports: Mobile Legends Bang Bang so far – and it’s not the mere brilliance in the Land of the Dawn alone.
For the Pirates, there’s to more to it than just showcasing harmony and excellence in the virtual arena as it credited the way tedious preparation behind the scenes with relentless training and competitions inside the school as the key to CCE glory for two seasons and counting – made possible by pioneering the country’s first Esports academic program.
“Well, the formula is the (preparation). If you actually look at the team, isa lang ‘yung nabawas pero pareho ‘yung quality. They have an Esports club and it’s getting bigger and bigger,” said Pirates athletic director Herc Callanta as Lyceum boasts the distinction of being home to the country’s pioneering Esports academic program.
“That’s good because members of the clubs exactly enrich the culture inside with regular competitions. The formula is to get the club bigger and try to get as many players in every Esport, in every event that is needed. That’s what gives you an enriched Esports program.”
And the Pirates did showcase that enriched program following another dominant run capped by a 3-1 reverse sweep of the Letran Cyberknights to rule the Season 2 of CCE presented by Galaxy Racer and Smart, with SM Mall of Asia, Cyberzone, Legion by Lenovo, Mountain Dew, Hawk Bags, Fantech, Huawei AppGallery as sponsors, and MPL-Philippines serving as an official partner.
With Merlin “MERL1N” Lintan serving as the only new guy in the intact Pirates squad, they encountered some resistance compared to a near sweep of Season 1 but still sailed to the “Promised Land” to maintain stature as the barometer in Philippine collegiate Esports scene.
Lintan connived with skipper Paul Adrienne “FAE” Huang, Ralph Joshua “Alas” Araz, Remarch “Lust” Eusebio, Janouel Louie “Lheizy” Lomerio and Marc Joseph “Marc” Balcita in providing coverage for now two-time Season MVP Mark Kenneth “Mark” Delos Reyes.
Apart from continuous training and competitions in virtual arenas, the Pirates actually participate in physical preparations offered by the university itself in a commendable ‘holistic’ approach to the booming Esports discipline.
“Ang maganda rin sa program ng LPU. They’re always asking what can be enhanced in terms of players’ abilities and competitiveness by way of also physical training. Kasama na lahat. It’s a holistic program,” added Callanta. “I’m very happy that the school and the college are very recipient and supportive in terms of having LPU involved in Esports. They see the value of it.”
Lyceum’s meteoric rise in the Esports world wasn’t actually the goal when it established the country’s pilot Bachelor of Science in Esports featuring two tracks in Esports management, and Game and Design Development.
“It’s a testimony to the good program that LPU has with respect to Esports. I know that the program in LPU is aimed at producing those who are at the backstage but the good thing is despite that, we’re producing good players, which actually augurs well for the end users,” Callanta explained, referring to the digital and technology professionals its program is set to produce.
In the end, Lyceum is more than willing to lend a hand for institutions alike wishing to kickstart a similar program for a two-edge goal of thriving in the trending Esports gaming scene and more importantly, the professional career paths that await them beyond the virtual arenas.
“The program is very agile. The changes come as needed. It’s very versatile. I’m very happy and I will endorse the program to everyone who wants to be in Esports,” he concluded.
But come Season 3, the goal for Lyceum of course is to stay on top of the CCE.