Mobile Legends has been a hit within the Southeast Asian region ever since it first launched in late 2016. It’s particularly popular with Singapore’s National Servicemen, who play it during their infrequent time-offs as a way of social cohesion.
Now the game is set to make a big splash into the local Esports scene in Singapore as we are nearing the start of the SEA Clash of Champions 2019 event.
The SEA Clash of Champions 2019 (SEACOC), the first-ever regional Mobile Legends Esports event in Singapore, will be held from 18 -19 May 2019 at the Suntec Convention Centre.
Top teams from all around Southeast Asia will be present at SEA Clash of Champions, with the likes of the Burmese Ghouls (Myanmar), Cignal Ultra (Philippines), Team Flash (Indonesia), Rex Regum Queon (Indonesia), Geek Fam (Malaysia), and Singapore’s very own Evos Esports SG, who recently became champions of the MPL All-star 2019.
To usher in the event, organiser Reddentes Sports’ Managing Partner Yip Renkai, SEA Clash of Champions Ambassador Benedict “hyhy” Lim, Singapore Esports Association (SGEA) President Ng Chong Geng and Evos EsportsSG leader Robert “OhDeerBambi” Boon gathered together to discuss the event and Esports in general before doing the group draws for the competition.
Yip Renkai started off by showing his surprise at the impact Esports has had for Reddentes Sports, describing it as being a massive pillar for the company now ever since chancing upon it eight months ago.
“Esports is definitely an industry for the future, I do not think that Esports and sports are conflicted, rather I feel that it is complementary,” he said.
“Hyhy” agreed, saying that that community has grown since his days as a DOTA 2 competitor some years ago. “We have started seeing tournaments with 1 million USD in prize monies, then more sponsors started came in because of more viewership, that’s when the industry really exploded,” he explained.
Ng Chong Geng expressed his gratitude for Reddentes Sports for bringing big and significant IPs.“It is a great start to bringing these competitions to Singapore.” he said, adding that Singapore had been lagging behind in the Esports scene compared to others in the region.
“It’s going to be exciting to fight Geek Fam again, I think it’s something that Esports fans would be wanting to watch.” said “OhDeerBambi”, adding that his team will be prepared for the fight.
He also describes his training for SEA Clash of Champions will be similar to his last competition, where a boot camp was held to play friendly matches with other top teams before reviewing the footage to see if improvements could be made.
Singapore-based streaming service Toggle will also be streaming the event live as revealed by Renkai, describing it as the first time the service is streaming an Esports event such asSE A Clash of Champions. He also noted that deals are still being done and expressed his hope at getting it on a mainstream broadcast.
The SEA Clash of Champions conference closed with “hyhy” drawing the teams that will feature in the two groups for the event. The placement of teams in each group are as follows:
| Group A | Group B |
| Rex Regum Queon (Indonesia) | Geek Fam (Malaysia) |
| Team Flash (Indonesia) | Burmese Ghouls (Myanmar) |
| Cignal Ultra (Philippines) | EVOS Esports SG (Singapore) |
Speaking about his feelings on the SEA Clash of Champions draw, “OhDeerBambi” said, “To be honest about the draw, I’m fine with any group, these teams are all top regional teams, they are definitely all good. No matter what group we are in, we will train hard.”
Photos by Soloman Soh of the DANAMIC team
