JAKARTA, Indonesia – There will be at least one Filipino in the grand finals of the Mobile Legends M4 World Championship.

All four teams in the upper bracket semifinals are guided by Filipino coaches, led by Kristoffer “Bon Chan” Ricaplaza of defending world champion Blacklist International and Harold “Tictac” Reyes of Echo.

The two other Filipino coaches are Denver “Yeb” Miranda and Michael “Arcadia” Bocado of Indonesian squads Onic Esports and RRQ Hoshi, respectively.

“I think it just shows that Filipinos are flexible and are able to adapt to different cultures and different strategies,” said Arcadia in a mix of Filipino and English.

The Philippines has the most representatives in this edition of the world championship.

Out of the 101 players, 18 are Filipinos spread across five teams from three different countries.

Also, seven of the 16 M4 teams have Filipino coaches, including John Michael “Zico” Dizon of Cambodia’s Burn X Flash, Steve “Dale” Vitug of Myanmar’s Falcon Esports, and Ameniel “Mundo” Mundo of Egypt’s Occupy Thrones.

Bon Chan and Arcadia figure in a battle of wits as Blacklist and RRQ Hoshi lock horns on Wednesday, January 11.

Meanwhile, Tictac and Yeb face off on Thursday when Echo tangles with Onic Esports.

The winners will advance to the upper bracket finals, a series win away from a coveted spot in the grand finals on January 15. – Rappler.com