MANILA, Philippines – As the Philippines plays catch up with the top Tekken 7 teams in the region, the Sibol national esports team hopes to pull off a surprise in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games. 

They’ve pulled off upsets quite a few times so the duo of Alexandre Gabrielle “AK” Laverez and Andreij Hosea “Doujin” Albar have a few tricks up their sleeves to get that elusive 1-2 finish in the regional biennial meet. (READ: ‘Tekken 7’: What you need to know)

“I’m really happy and looking forward to it because this is indeed a unique and a wonderful experience for us. Not only for us, but for the whole esports community in the country,” said Albar. 

“We will surely do our best to get both the gold and silver in the upcoming SEA Games and we’ll make the Philippines proud.” 

According to the pair, Thailand remains as the team to beat with constant Tekken World Tour player Book and standout Friki. 

But both Filipinos believe they have a shot after scoring stunning wins against powerhouse teams in recent tournaments. (READ: ‘Tekken 7’: Pro tips from the Sibol players)

Laverez, who has been playing Tekken since he was 4 years old, recently put Philippine esports on the spotlight by winning a silver in the 2019 EVO Japan tournament.

The 18-year-old hopes to use his experience in the major international tournament to surprise the tough SEA Games field. 

“Dahil doon sa EVO Japan na iyon, mga nadiscover akong moves, may nadiscover akong mga parang mga lagi kong ginagawa sa game na mali. Tapos iyon. Natulungan niya ako, natulungan niya ako in a way na naimprove ko iyon,” said Laverez. 

(Because of EVO Japan, I discovered moves and I also found out my mistakes. It helped me improve.) 

Albar also hopes to bank on his recent strong showing after mastering over 20 characters in the game. – Rappler.com