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Getting Good At Wild Rift/MLBB – Another Comparison

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A series of articles about “getting good” in games we were unfamiliar with.

Originally Published: 7th June 2021 on eGG Network

The past two weeks I took some time in between games of Wild Rift to hop back into Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, thanks to the hype of the MPL-MY S7 playoffs and MSC 2021, and have been having a good time with the game again. Playing these two games brought to light the key differences of what I like about each game.

Faster Games

I’ve been winning and losing consistently 😅

In addition to near-instant queues, thanks to the large number of people playing MLBB, games are much faster paced. It might not seem like a big deal at first, but I feel it contributes to how ‘addictive’ each session can feel – when one game is complete, you feel like you have time for another. It’s like playing a Turbo match in Dota 2. Wild Rift’s longer games feel like they take up more mental energy, and usually, after 2-3 games, I’m drained – similar to how I feel after a regular ranked Dota 2 match.

My MLBB games

This speed also allows games to turn the tide quickly – in the late game, sometimes all you need to do is hold out for one good team fight to immediately end the game after – it’s much easier to destroy turrets in MLBB. In Wild Rift, I’ve felt that the game has very little potential for comebacks – maybe it’s just a problem at my rank, but a lot of times I’ve felt that a game was over and we were just going through the motions waiting for it to end. It’s easier to maintain a lead in the game. But thanks to MLBB’s faster pace, I’ve played many more games than WR and have graduated to Grandmaster, with Epic on the horizon. One thing I do like about Wild Rift is that loading into games feels much faster on average than MLBB.

Masks are awesome

In terms of gameplay, both games are great but have very different playstyles. Wild Rift seems a lot more static compared to MLBB, especially during the laning phase. People tend to stick to their own lanes until the first tower is down on the opposite side. In MLBB, it’s a lot more unpredictable and chaotic (which I enjoy). I also love the masks in MLBB, which allow support players to roam around different lanes and not steal experience and gold from your cores. When upgraded, they also provide very useful skills. I never bought these masks when they were first introduced, but playing with them now has taught me what I’ve been missing out on. It enables such a unique gameplay style where you can roam from lane to lane without being punished.

Jawhead is <3

Playing more games means I gain more experience using a new hero in MLBB in the same amount of time compared to Wild Rift. I recently unlocked Jawhead after watching pros play and I’m in love with the hero! It’s like a combination of Gyrocopter and Tiny from Dota 2 – a match made in heaven! I’ve been having tons of fun learning and playing it over the past week.

User Interface/Experience

Clean vs convoluted

I’ll be upfront – Wild Rift has a better user interface and experience outside of the game. The fact that the main menu is not a mess of notifications and buttons to press each time you log in to the game is such a breath of fresh air. It would be nice if more mobile game developers followed in their footsteps but I understand the reasons why they won’t. When you launch MLBB, you are constantly reminded of how many different pages you have to check out – and if you’re bothered by those red dots like me, you’ll spend many minutes getting rid of each one.

I can easily see what my spells do (AoE, CC or Blink)

When it comes to the game itself, I like how MLBB labels the spells each hero has – when using a new hero, it’s easy to quickly tell which ability is a stun, blink or nuke and so on. In WR, I have to spend time reading what each skill does.

The ping system

In-game communication – both games have pros and cons when it comes to their ping system, but I do like how WR‘s pings allow you to specify where on the minimap you want the alert to be. In MLBB, you’re stuck with pinging wherever you are unless you use the other ping option which requires you to do some fancy gymnastics with your right hand or to stop moving your character due to the position of the button and the map.

Rune Pages/Emblems/Spells

Runes vs Emblems

Wild Rift’s Rune Pages are superior to MLBB’s emblem system. I don’t agree with gameplay changing abilities being gated by spending currency. All players should have access to them and currency should only be spent on cosmetics. Different heroes/champions being behind paywalls I can understand, it also allows people to slowly learn heroes as they accumulate them, but emblems that can be used on all heroes should be as accessible as possible. I know that over time a player will unlock all of them, but it’s still unfair for newer players who don’t have their emblems upgraded or might not even have any idea about how they work.

Wild Rift letting you have an extra spell is great – MLBB’s one-spell limit feels restrictive, but then again, the game was balanced around that, so I guess they don’t want everyone to have a blink. It’s something I do miss when I play MLBB.

Conclusion

Personally, I feel that there is room for more than one MOBA in the market – they’re both fun games with different flavours and competition in the scene is always good. Sometimes you’re in the mood for one over the other, and that’s okay!

Each game has its merits and I’ll continue to play them both, but over the past week, I can understand why WR isn’t the most popular game on the block right now. It’s quite a challenge to move from one MOBA that you’re used to, to another. I honestly believe Wild Rift is worth checking out at the very least and though the learning curve might be difficult, you’ll have a good time.

I stream Wild Rift live occasionally on my Facebook Gaming page – do follow me if you want to catch me live. Stay tuned to eGG Network for all the latest esports coverage, and don’t forget to check out Soupykambing’s journey in getting good at PUBG Mobile!

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Getting Good At Wild Rift: Embracing The Differences

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A series of articles about “getting good” in games we were unfamiliar with.

Originally Published: 5th March 2021 on eGG Network

This article is part of a weekly blog series by our eGG-steemed writers, to share our progress playing your favourite games not only for fun, but also to level up our mastery and understand your love for the game.

As a longtime Dota 2 player, with some experience in Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, I figured it would only be natural for me to pick up the latest MOBA in town, Wild Rift.

A Complete Noob

Only Level 8

I’ll admit it, I’m still getting my feet wet in Wild Rift. I haven’t played the game long enough to unlock ranked matches yet, but I’m getting there. Despite having experience in other similar games, Wild Rift was a very different beast. Sure, the common 3-lane game mechanics are present, but when it came to heroes, spells and items, I had a lot to learn. Fortunately, the game’s recommended items feature is there to help me out with tough decisions. Eventually, I’ll be good enough to create my own item builds but for now I’m sticking with what’s provided.

New Player Experience

One thing I have to applaud Riot for is the new player experience. The in-game tutorials, while extremely basic, provide the fundamental knowledge for anyone to start playing a game of Wild Rift. It was nicely broken down into small sections which made the game’s mechanics easy to digest. However, it’s still not a game that you’ll be able to fully comprehend with a mere few hours of playtime.

What’s Different?

Shopping While Dead – My Favourite Activity

Having to return to base to buy items slows the game down a bit (compared to MLBB where you can shop on the battlefield, and Dota 2 where you have couriers to ferry them to you). I’m still unsure of the correct timing for going back to shop. When I’m ahead in the lane, it doesn’t seem like the right move to abandon it just to go home to get some items – it gives a chance for the enemy to recover. If the enemy leaves the lane, and I return then, I give up the opportunity to push an undefended lane. At the moment, I do most of my shopping when I’m dead but I’m sure that’s not the best move.

Never Give Up

One thing I’ve learned from Dota 2 that carried over here is the mentality to never give up – there’s no surrender option in that game. Last night, I was in a match where we were down two lanes (my poor performance didn’t help), but our enemies made a mistake which gave our team an opening to comeback from the huge deficit. The main takeaway? Your enemies are just as bad as you. Don’t give up until your Nexus is destroyed because games can be won as easily as they can be lost.

I Main Ahri

Like Nana

When I first started playing Wild Rift, I randomly picked Ahri to begin with and she reminded me of Nana from MLBB – a fragile spellcaster with many team fight abilities. Since I was familiar with playing Nana, I stuck with Ahri and have been playing her for most of my matches. A lot of the time I’ve been assigned the mid lane, which isn’t a lane I normally play, but since my opponents are as bad as me, I haven’t been struggling. Then again, there’s no deny mechanic in this game, so it’s not really hard to keep up or play the mid lane here.

But during the mid and late game is where I’m still learning to use this hero effectively. Like Nana, you’re susceptible to being burst down but you don’t have a free get-out-of-jail card (Molina’s Gift). Positioning is paramount. If you want to get off all your spells effectively, you have to take note of where you are in a team fight. Your 3rd spell, Charm, is extremely disruptive during team fights and is good for saving your allies who are being attacked. It is also the best spell for initiating a fight since it sets them up for your Orb of Deception and Fox-Fire nukes.

The ultimate, Spirit Rush, is your mobility spell – use it to initiate, getaway, or chase down a feeling enemy. It has a long cooldown, so it should be used carefully. I usually equip Flash (who can say no to a free blink dagger) and Heal for my summoner spells, but I’ll experiment with other choices in the future.

My Struggles

I’m still unfamiliar with timings in this game. In Dota 2, there’s a clear laning phase – once you’ve got your core items as a support (my main role), you should start moving around the map to make plays. But not in Wild Rift – maybe it’s the skill level I’m playing yet, where people are just as lost as me. I don’t know when to start rotating to make plays yet. There’s also the whole aspect of team buffs that is similar to MLBB – however, in LoL they seem more important – there are many more neutral creeps to take that will buff your whole team. In MLBB, there’s only the Turtle and Lord.

Learning About The Drake Buffs

I’m not fully accustomed to the layout of the battlefield in Wild Rift. I keep running into trees and walls that I have to walk around when trying to get somewhere. The map feels bigger than the one in MLBB – it’s either that or the characters are moving slower. Pushing turrets down is similar to MLBB – when you at least 2 people attacking a turret at the same time it’ll go down much quicker, compared to Dota 2 where it will take a long time to take a tower down if you’re a hero with low attack damage. I finished the tutorial yesterday and learned about the Drake buffs. Baron seems like a good objective to take when you’re ahead, though there’s no aegis, it’ll make your minions stronger when pushing.

The Ping System

Due to how many champions there are in the game, it’s taking me a while to recognize who I’m up against or allied with. I don’t know all the skills and limits of each hero, but I believe that will come in time. I think I’ll try using the mic a lot more, the pinging system is pretty good in the game but it can be slow to use during intense moments.

There Are Many Champs To Learn

My next goal? To get my account to a high enough level to start playing ranked, and then try to climb up the ladder. In the meantime, I’ll be consuming some video content and guides to learn the game more.

Follow eGG Network on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for more of our Wild Rift adventures! If you’d like to catch me noob it out in Wild Rift and other games, I stream my games live on Facebook Gaming.

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Team Spirit Win TI 10 – Grand Finals Recap

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A recap of the grand finals of The International 10, the most prestigious Dota 2 tournament in the world.

Originally Published: 18th October 2021 on eGG Network

Game 1

PSG.LGD drafted comfort picks for the first game of the series, Ursa, Io, Lycan, while Team Spirit pulled out a new weapon to complement Elder Titan and Tidehunter – Naga Siren. The game started off pretty slowly, with barely any blood spilt. With Naga left untouched, she easily out farmed Ursa and enter the midgame with a fast Aghs Scepter and Bloodthorn. This led to Team Spirit going around the map securing kills and objectives.

Naga Siren’s upgraded Ensnare was the silver bullet against PSG.LGD’s evasive heroes. With the clutch initiations by Collapse’s Tidehunter and Mira’s Lion, they easily closed out the first game in their favour. Team Spirit take the lead in the grand final series, 1-0.

Game 2

Team Spirit were allowed to pick Collapse’s signature Magnus, while LGD drafted the classic Earthshaker-Morphling combo. This game was a bit slow as well, but Yatoro didn’t have as much space to farm as before. LGD learnt from game 1 and constantly invaded the jungle to hunt him down. With Io and Leshrac, PSG also went around the map claiming towers quickly, while Team Spirit struggled to defend the early pushes.

Midgame is when things turned around – once Collapse farmed his blink dagger, Team Spirit shifted into the next gear, getting pick off after pick off. Things didn’t get better for PSG.LGD when Magnus got his Shard and Horn Toss. Despite what Xiao8 said during the interview about anticipating Team Spirit’s Magnus, it looked like they weren’t ready at all. Team Spirit 2-0 PSG.LGD.

Game 3

For the third game, it feels like LGD didn’t think Magnus was the problem and as expected, the CIS squad snapped it up as their first pick. However, PSG.LGD drafted two unpopular heroes in the Bloodseeker and Tinker.

For the first time this series, LGD started in control of the game. Their tankier lineup was much more survivable to Spirit’s early initiations, and Spectre’s haunt allowed Ame to participate in fights earlier than before. With the copious amount of crowd control and spells that provided vision and Spectre had its Aghs online, LGD’s lineup morphed into a ferocious global ganking squad.

By the midgame, things looked bleak for Team Spirit due to their lack of lockdown for the Tinker, who had purchased an early Scythe. This made the team fights unwinnable for Spirit and they lost the bottom lane of barracks at 40 minutes. The second lane of barracks were destroyed 6 minutes later, followed by complete decimation in Spirit’s base shortly after an Aegis pickup. Turns out, LGD didn’t need to ban the Magnus. Team Spirit 2-1 PSG.LGD.

Game 4

Team Spirit drafted an unorthodox lineup this game, trying to take LGD’s strategy of picking Spectre against Magnus. However, LGD drafted a fast pushing lineup around Luna instead to end the game before Spectre came online and what a whomping it was. LGD only conceded two deaths this game, while getting away with 23 kills on Team Spirit. Not much to say here other than PSG.LGD equalize the series with Team Spirit 2-2.

Game 5

One game to decide it all. Both teams on their tried and true comfort heroes, with Collapse Magnus, Miposhka Wyvern, while PSG.LGD went with their Tiny/Lycan combo. PSG.LGD secured an early gold lead with their faster early game farmers but Team Spirit didn’t let up, matching their farm on their cores despite losing towers. Team Spirit continued playing patiently, getting items on their Ember Spirit, Terrorblade and Magnus.

Once LGD’s cores came online, the Tiny/Lycan combo failed to secure any important kills while Team Spirit continued farming. Thanks to the massive initiations from Collapse on his signature Magnus, Team Spirit had no problems picking off cores and securing objectives around the map. Team Spirit never let up the pressure and eventually pummeled LGD into submission. When they knew LGD had no more buybacks, Spirit marched down the Dire base to end the game 3-2.

Congratulations to Yatoro, TORONTOTOKYO, Collapse, Mira, Miposhka and Silent – Team Spirit are the champions of The International 10. They walk away with a whopping USD 18,208,300 and the Aegis of the Immortal. What a fairy tale story for the CIS squad. From playing tier 2 tournaments to getting knocked down to the lower bracket in the first round of the playoffs of TI 10, they’ve displayed that they’re the best Dota 2 team in the world today.

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M2 Group Stage Predictions

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An article about how the group stages of a tournament would play out.

Originally Published: 15th January 2021 on eGG Network

All the teams competing at M2 – the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang World Championship we’ve been waiting for – are set and ready to go at each other’s throats to secure a spot in the Playoffs. For those who are new to the MLBB competitive scene and M2 will be your first tournament, here’s a quick preview of what to look forward to next week!

Group A

RSG – winners of MPL-MY/SG S5, and 4th at S6, 2nd at the MLBB 4 Nations Cup, the Singaporean powerhouse squad are known for their disciplined and coordinated teamplay. The team have managed to remain consistent for the past year and are looking in good shape moving forward despite struggling at the One Esports MLBB Invitational (getting knocked out after their first match). With the first tournament of the year being in their own country, it bodes well for them to start off 2021 with a bang!

Unique Devu – Most of Unique Devu’s players were from Deus Vult – Russia’s representatives at M1, so they’ll be back to redeem themselves after their poor performance (they failed to qualify for the playoffs). It’s not often we get Russian teams in this part of the world, so it’ll be interesting to watch how the different playstyles match up – being in a group with two top-tier SEA teams isn’t going to make things easy for them!

Burmese Ghouls and RSG faced off not too long ago in the lower bracket finals of the MPLI 4 Nations Cup (they lost 2-1), so this will be their chance at revenge. At M1, they completely dominated their group without losing a single match but were eliminated at 4th place by Todak during the playoffs. The team has remained consistent in their performance throughout the past year, so we’ll see if they can recreate the magic.

Predictions:

While the matches between RSG and Burmese Ghouls could go either way, we believe that the homecourt advantage, experience and discipline of RSG will tilt the group stage in their favour. Burmese Ghouls in second and Unique Devu third.

Group B

Todak – In Group B, fans will be pleased to see the undefeated squad from MPL-MY/SG S6 back together on the big stage (after trying out 2 new players for the One Esports MPL Invitational). If the Malaysian team can return to their S6 form, this group should be a cakewalk for them. They also got 3rd at M1, after being eliminated by RRQ.

Omega Esports, 2nd place winners at MPL-PH S6, will try to throw a wrench in Todak’s plans, but they haven’t shown their best form since then. However, Impunity shouldn’t pose too much of a threat to them.

Impunity – Cambodia’s strongest team, they qualified to M1 in 2019 but failed to make it out of the group stage (winning a grand total of 0 games). A lot of time has passed and since then, they have replaced most of their players. They’re still a force to be reckoned with locally, but on the international stage, they have a lot to prove.

Predictions:

Todak shouldn’t have too much trouble with this group, and Omega should finish second with Impunity at third.

Group C

10S Gaming Frost are an exciting team to look out for – we don’t see them often here and at M1 (they were known as 10S Gaming+) they managed a 5/6th place finish despite being in a tough group. However, the lineup has changed since then, with only 2 members of the original squad remaining (Obuyan and Pappa). Unfortunately for them, it seems that luck wasn’t on their side during the group stage draw as they ended up with Bren Esports and Alter Ego.

Alter Ego – winners of the One Esports MLBB Invitational, they have been seeded in the group of death against one of the strongest teams in the world right now – Bren Esports, winners of MPL-PH S6. However, one of their players can’t make it to the tournament due to Covid-related issues, so they’ll have some adjusting to do.

Bren Esports – a team full of MPL champions (some of them two-time MPL winners), they’re looking like the favourites for their group. However, since they lost the One Esports MLBB Invitational to Alter Ego in the grand finals, this group stage will give them a shot at revenge. If things go according to plan, they are favoured to finish first in their group, but unfamiliarity against the Japanese 10S Gaming Frost could catch them off guard.

Predictions:

Bren Esports should take this one easily, followed by Alter Ego, but we are hoping to be proven wrong by 10S Gaming Frost – after all, who doesn’t love an underdog story?

Group D

EVOS SG – the team performed poorly at M1, failing to even make it out of the group stage. Since then, the team has improved significantly and even made it to 2nd place at MPL-MY/SG S6. For this tournament, they brought back Zeys, who was said to be integral to their performance at MPL-MY/SG S4. With rumours of the team disbanding afloat only time will tell if this team will go out with a successful final hurrah.

RRQ – winners of MPL-ID S6, the squad is considered one of the best teams of the region, and at M2 they managed a second-place finish. With additional titles under their belt and a wealth of experience, will they be able to secure the title this time around? They’re definitely one of the favourites to win the tournament.

Dreammax – With players from Geo esports (M1 representatives), they will try to redeem themselves this year after failing to make it out of the group stage. Them being put in a group with EVOS SG and RRQ isn’t going to help their chances, but they’ve had a wealth of experience over the past year which should help them against the more well-known teams. Like with 10S Gaming Frost, they have the potential to make an underdog run this tournament.

Update (7pm): Hopefully their Covid issues won’t affect their gameplay too much.

Predictions:

It’s going to be a tough fight between RRQ and EVOS for first place, but we think the Indonesians can pull it off, despite the home ground advantage. Dreammax to finish third in the groups – but as usual, we woud love to be proven wrong!

M2 kicks off this Monday, 18th January. Don’t miss the action which will be streamed live on Astro eGG Network TV (CH800), Astro Arena (CH801/CH802 HD) and Facebook! Stay tuned to eGG Network for all the latest updates. What are your group stage predictions?

RED vs Reborn and the MPL-MY S7 Invitation

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An investigative piece about invitations and organizational disputes of an esports team.

Originally Published: 5th February 2021 on eGG Network

The invitations to the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League were announced earlier this week and there have been some interesting decisions by Moonton. Even though RSG and EVOS SG were at MPL-MYSG S6, the organizations will be fielding completely different squads from their Singaporean counterparts. But since the invitations belong to organizations instead of the players, it wasn’t too big of a surprise to see them in the announcement.

MPL-MY S7 invitations

What’s surprising is the glaring omission Red Esports or Red Reborn Esports – the team placed sixth at the previous season of MPL-MY/SG and should be part of the seventh season. 

“Wait a minute, aren’t they just Reborn Esports?” you might ask. While they might share the name of the team that competed in season six, Reborn Esports are not Red Reborn or Red Esports. Did the team break up? Disband? What happened?

Since Reborn has been in the spotlight before regarding contractual issues, we thought we’d shed some light on the situation. We’ll be reporting from both sides of the story so you can form your own opinion on the situation. We spoke to Siti Nurul Syahirah, personal assistant to Red Esports’ CEO; Intan Syazana, a marketing executive of Red Esports; and Hawkeye, team manager of Reborn Esports.

Legend

Bella Ciao – the team which consists of Silo, Cakbu, Eren, Mal, Mom and Grengo, used the name Bella Ciao instead of Reborn Esports when they competed in the qualifiers of MPL-MYSG S6.

Red Reborn – Bella Ciao/Reborn Esports, which was renamed after signing a deal with Red Esports. Red Reborn was used to signify the collaboration of the two organizations.

Red Esports – the same team Red Reborn, but renamed after the conclusion of MPL-MYSG S6.

Reborn Esports – roster currently unknown, invited to MPL-MY S7.

Hakweye – manager of Reborn Esports, formerly manager of Red Reborn.

History

Team Bella Ciao, Reborn Esports Facebook

Reborn Esports, after losing their invitation to MPL Season 6 due to prior contractual issues with Orange Esports, competed in the qualifiers as Bella Ciao, to earn a spot in the league. After qualifying, they signed with Red Esports and were rebranded as Red Reborn for the tournament. They placed decently at the tournament, finishing the playoffs at sixth place. Based on the invitations for season seven, they should have gotten one as well – which they did. But here is where things get messy.

Contracts, the birth of Reborn Ventures

According to Hawkeye, the Reborn and Red Esports deal was only a sponsorship deal to them, and they weren’t supposed to own the team. Red Esports disagreed saying that to them, it was more than just a sponsorship deal – after all, they had provided the players with equipment, a training house and more. Right off the bat, there was already some miscommunications but it wasn’t a problem at that point in time. Red Esports claimed that they had let a third party (Hawkeye) handle the responsibility of registering the team for MPL-MY/SG S6 so they didn’t go through the paperwork.

After MPL-MYSG S6 concluded, Red Esports wanted to continue sponsoring the players for the upcoming season. As part of their agreement with the organization, they wanted Red Esports to promise them the S7 invitation. Since Red Esports were pleased with the team’s performance, they were happy to oblige.

The declaration form, Reborn Esports Facebook

However, they were told by Moonton that players weren’t allowed to hold invitations – invitations had to belong to an organization. This led to Silo setting up a dummy company, Reborn Ventures, to accept the invitation on behalf of the players. The transfer of the invitation took place in November. Since the players were essentially part of Red Esports, they had no issues with it.

Trouble brewed last month when Red Esports decided that they wanted to rebrand the team to just Red Esports instead of keeping it as Red Reborn (their name for season 6). Silo, unhappy with the decision started to question their authority and disobey commands. This led to his suspension from Red Esports until the end of his current contract (16th May 2021). Because it was considered a breach of contract, he will not receive his remaining salary and will not be allowed to compete for another team (since he’s technically still under Red Esports).

Silo’s suspension, Red Esports Facebook

Consequences

When the invitations to MPL-MY S7 went out, Red Reborn’s invitation was given to Reborn Esports, since they had signed it away. Moonton followed the rules and honoured an agreement (the transfer of the invitation from Red Esports to Reborn Esports) when it came to giving out the invitations. Whether or not Moonton knew that the Red Reborn players were on Red Esports and not Reborn Esports is up in the air – the company has declined to comment on the situation. Since Silo can’t compete for Reborn Esports in S7, the organization has signed a completely new roster (to be announced in the near future).

Red Esports claims that they have spoken to Moonton regarding the situation but the game developer failed to address their queries. What happens next then? Red Esports will have to go through qualifiers in order to make it to the upcoming season. We all know how much of a coin toss the qualifiers can be – a single off match can spell disaster for the team regardless of how good they are. While it feels wildly unfair when a group of players who worked so hard lose out on an opportunity to compete just because of some questionable actions by one person (according to Red Esports, the players on the roster weren’t fully aware of Silo’s actions), they’ve been through the grind before so it won’t be their first rodeo.

What can be done in the future?

We’re not sure either what rules need to be changed when it comes to invitations. Problems arise when too much power is given to the players (they have the ability to leave any organization they want), and too much power is given to the organizations (they can replace their players with no consequences). There needs to be a balance. However, in this case, it is clear to see that not inviting the players who placed sixth at MPL-MYSG S6 is extremely questionable, especially when they are still playing together as part of the same organization albeit the name change. 

We will update this article when/if we receive additional information.

So much drama before the MPL-MY S7 season has even begun. We wonder what else is in store! What do you guys think about the situation? Any hot takes? Make sure you tune in for the qualifier finals that will be taking place this weekend, 7th February 2021. Stay tuned to the MPL-MY and eGG Network Facebook Page to keep abreast of all the latest MLBB news!

Further reading:

Red Esports Facebook: 1,2

Reborn Esports Facebook: 1

Reborn Speak Out About Losing Their Invitation to MPL-MY/SG S6

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An investigative piece I wrote about an esports team losing their spot in a league despite a podium finish the previous season.

Originally Published: 23rd July 2020 on eGG Network

Updates to this story have been added below

After the conclusion of the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League Malaysia/Singapore Season 5 (MPL-MY/SG S5), people were left wondering about the fate of Orange Esports Reborn. Reborn (previously known as Saiyan Reborn) was sponsored up by Orange Esports earlier this year for MPL-MY/SG S5. They survived the qualifier gauntlet and finished at a respectable third place in the playoffs, losing to Resurgence SG, the team that would go on to win the whole tournament against Geek Fam.

Reborn at MPL-MY/SG S5

Based on a Facebook post by the team recently, it looks like not all is well – Reborn announced that they are no longer with Orange Esports, and as a result have lost their invitation to MPL-MY/SG S6. It seems that after their contract ended with Orange Esports, they couldn’t find common ground to work together. The team also claimed that their offer to work together with the organization being rejected.

Screenshot of the Facebook post
Translated to English

There were some questionable decisions made by the team and Orange, mentioned in the post – according to Reborn, they weren’t even officially signed to Orange for MPL-MY/SG S5 because of some mistakes in the contract that Orange refused to correct. This implies that they were playing under the Orange banner unsigned during S5. In the burgeoning world of esports with countless stories of players being on the losing end of deals, not having all the details worked out is never a good thing.

On the other hand, this post highlights an issue with the current MPL invitation system. As it stands, invitations are given to organizations instead of players, so when organizations decide to release rosters, players who earned the right to participate at the tournament are out of luck. To play in the upcoming MPL season, Reborn will have to go through the grind of open qualifiers and qualifiers to earn their spot again. Orange can just sign another squad to keep their spot in the league.

While this rule is in place to protect organizations from being taken advantage of by players, there’s nothing to protect players in a reverse situation (like what happened to Reborn).

Reborn

Esports teams aren’t like traditional sports organizations – where the popularity of a sports team comes from its legacy, and sometimes location (a lot of people support their home team just because). In esports, a lot of viewers will choose to follow players regardless of their team. With less physical barriers in place in the world of video games (thanks to the internet), players swapping teams is a matter of simply editing their in-game details. Some players have even created their own organizations to put their own interests first (OG, Team Nigma), instead of having to answer to upper management and investors.

Who should tournament organizers strive to protect? Players who do the heavy lifting of playing the game, or the companies that financially support players to do so?

At the end of the day, there’s no perfect solution to the problem at hand, as we have learned from other scenes. For example in Dota 2, there was a point where invitations were given to players instead of organizations – this led to an imbalance in power dynamics, with all the negotiating power on the side of players instead of organizations. Companies had little incentive to sign teams since they could walk away at any time with no repercussion. However, the shift in power has been fluctuating to and fro. Game companies and tournament organizers are still trying to find that sweet spot.

At this time of writing, we’re unsure of how the situation will play out. We’ve reached out to both Reborn and Orange Esports for their comments and will update the article accordingly. If Reborn do compete in the open qualifier and make it to the regular season, you can be sure that matches between them and Orange are going to be a bloodbath. Grab your popcorn, it’s going to be an exciting season!

UPDATE 24/7

We spoke to the manager of Reborn and he had these points to add:

  • Orange Esports was only a sponsor for MPL-MY/SG S5 – Reborn are their own organization.
  • There were numerous mistakes in the contract which stopped Reborn from signing it.
  • They claimed that Orange Esports had promised them corrected contracts, but management kept delaying them.
  • He was particularly upset about the contract lasting only two months – ending just before the MPL-MY/SG S5 playoffs. Also, he believed that the contract should have been for at least a year.
  • They didn’t speak out against Orange earlier because they had hopes of settling the issue amicably. Unfortunately, their offer was shot down.
  • Despite not signing the contract, Reborn still gave up a cut of their prize money to Orange Esports.
  • Moonton has refused to comment on the situation.
  • He believes that in the future, invitations should go to organizations that own the team, instead of sponsors – like in this case, they should go to Reborn and not Orange.

UPDATE 26/7

Orange Esports has not directly addressed the statement by Reborn, but the organization posted on Facebook their participation in MPL-MY/SG S6 with an unrevealed roster. They also published screenshots of emails from Moonton regarding the organization invitation to the tournament.

Source: Orange Esports Facebook

UPDATE 27/7

Reborn has qualified for MPL MY/SG S6 going through the opens – this is going to be spicy!

Remember to follow eGG Network for all the latest news and updates of MPL-MY/SG S6. Don’t forget to tune in for the open qualifier action kicking off this Friday!

Android Ice Cream Sandwich, Launched!

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Coverage on the official launch of the Android 4.0 mobile operating system.

Originally Published: 18th October 2011 on Ubergizmo.com

Text version:

The day that all Android fans have been waiting for has finally arrived. Google has finally pulled the wrapper off its latest operating system: Android 4.0, better known as Ice Cream Sandwich. This time around, Google has decided to focus on making the operating system “enchanting”, easy to use and appealing to more people. And from what they introduced at the unveiling, I think they’ve managed to hit the spot with Ice Cream Sandwich.

Design

Ice Cream Sandwich will feature a brand new user interface (UI) that will make use of common gestures across the whole operating system. One of the most prominent new gestures is the swipe left/right motion. Users will be swiping the screens to the side when browsing through screens of similar content i.e. different emails, different parts of a user’s profile in the contacts app etc.

Another noticeable feature of Ice Cream Sandwich is the brand new “Roboto” typeface. Since the operating system has been built specifically to take advantage of 720p HD displays, they created a high resolution font that stays sharp no matter if you’re viewing it from a distance or close up.

Ice Cream Sandwich really changes how Android looks and behaves. Since the core Android buttons (back, home, menu) will be on the display itself,  this means that they can rotate depending on the device orientation, light up when pressed, and even disappear when running a fullscreen app i.e. watching a movie.

Features

Widgets are now more powerful, with the ability to support scrolling, stacks and all of them can be resized to any size you like, which brings customization to a whole new level. But one of the best features about Ice Cream Sandwich is that your widgets are now shown in a page, just like how all your apps are displayed when you open your app drawer. This makes it so much easier to see what widgets you’re adding to your homescreen instead of going through the multiple menus like you normally do on Android.

Folders are now easier to create – users can just drag an icon onto another one to make a new folder. Yes, it feels like it’s been lifted off iOS, but it definitely is more intuitive and takes less steps than the previous method of going through the menu.

With Ice Cream Sandwich, Android finally has a built-in app switcher/task killer. With the app switcher, users can easily scroll through all the apps they have open and use the simple left/right swiping gesture to close anything they don’t want open.

Taking another page out of the iOS book, Android now has an inbuilt screenshot function (yay – no more rooting necessary). Users can just hit the power + volume down key to take a screenshot of what’s happening on screen.

The notifications bar in Ice Cream Sandwich is now accessible from the lockscreen – great for people with complicated unlock patterns who just want to check their latest notifications.

The Android keyboard has also been improved, with more accurate prediction, better correction, and improved editing (users can now drag and drop text). Voice to text has also been upgraded. Speech is translated into text as soon as users start speaking. Users can also hesitate or pause without being cut off by the system.

Ice Cream Sandwich also has a new way of unlocking the phone: using advanced facial recognition technology, users can unlock their phones by just looking into the front facing camera. While it seems like a good idea, I foresee some problems: unless users have an external light source or a front facing flash – it’s basically useless in the dark. And is the software smart enough to differentiate a person’s face from a photograph? I guess we’ll find out when it’s released.

Core Apps

Besides the new features of the operating system, Google has also revamped all the core apps for Android Ice Cream Sandwich:

Android Browser
The default web browser has been given a facelift, and the addition of some useful new features. Tabbed browsing has been introduced (up to 16 tabs supported), and they can be easily switched to in the same manner the app switcher works (tap to select, swipe to close). The browser can also request for desktop sites (when mobile sites don’t give you what you want), automatically sync your bookmarks with Google Chrome on your desktop/laptop, save pages for offline reading, check your most viewed pages and launch an incognito mode.

Gmail
The Gmail app has also been revamped, this time it features two line previews (great for skimming through your emails), and the same swiping gesture for moving forward/back through your messages. Contacts are now displayed as chips – little boxes with names and a display picture, and offline search is finally available on the app. Gmail now has an action bar that displays your most frequently used actions.

Calendar
The default calendar app has also been updated, this time around it features a less cluttered, more readable interface, pinch to zoom for expanding event details on the calendar itself (no more having to jump in and out of the events screen).

Data usage monitor
Ice Cream Sandwich now has a built-in feature that lets users monitor their data usage. It can record usage history, and based on the past it can project what your data usage will be like for the remainder of the month. Users can set warnings, automatically cut data, see how much data an app users over a selected time period, and even cut off background data for specific apps. A real handy tool for people who have trouble controlling their data intake.

Photos, Video and Gallery
While more of a feature of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus instead of the camera app, users will be able to take photographs with zero shutter delay. Multiple shots can be taken in a very short time, and the camera can also be accessed from the default lockscreen. The app now has a slider for zooming and a tap to focus mode. Sharing has also been streamlined, making it an almost instantaneous process. A nifty panoramic shot feature is also present.

Videos can be recorded in 1080p HD resolution, continuous focus, and zooming while recording are all present. Users can also shoot time lapse videos, and they can also take high quality snapshots while video recording simultaneously.

The stock gallery app looks gorgeous, with its magazine-inspired layout for all the thumbnails, categorizing options (choose by location, people, date etc), and new built-in editing tools (apply “hipster filters, crop images, rotate, resize etc all from the gallery app).

People
The contacts app has evolved into what Google calls People. It features a bright new look (no more black screen), the same swiping motion to browse through different pages, and a person’s contact details all aggregated in one location. In addition to showing a person’s contact details, People can also display their latest social network activities.

People has also been integrated into other app such as Gmail in the form of contact cards that show a person’s details in a condensed format. This makes getting in touch with people through different means a very simple process.

Phone
Visual voice mail has been integrated directly into the call lists, and users can now speed up or slowdown any voicemail they have on their phones. From the incoming call screen, users can also perform a simple swipe up gesture to reject a call and send a canned text message to the caller at the same time so users can decline calls politely.

Android Beam
Using the power of NFC technology, Google has really kicked it up a notch with Google Beam. Instead of just turning your phone into a digital wallet, Google Beam lets users easily share content with each other. From websites, maps, and even a game that you’re playing on the phone – sharing with Google Beam is literally just a tap away. In the future it can even be used to start multiplayer games, and to share photos.

Conclusion

Ice Cream Sandwich definitely is a huge upgrade from Gingerbread and Honeycomb but it looks like Google is trying to make the complete Android experience as good as it can get without the use of third party apps, custom ROMs and launchers. Definitely something that unadventurous Android users (i.e. most consumers) will welcome though it looks like it’s going to leave the hardcore users wanting more. After all, Google did mention that this update was mostly about “beautifying” Android at the beginning of the presentation. We’ll just have to see what the future updates to the operating system will bring.

The Ice Cream Sandwich SDK is available now, so if you want to tinker around with the tools or find out more about the operating system, you can head over to the official Android developers blog for more details.