Get ready to rumble

The esports contingent is gunning for gold at the SEA Games in Cambodia next month. — Credit: Moonton

Esports fans can look forward to watching team Malaysia in action at the upcoming SEA Games 2023 in Cambodia, slated for May 5 to 17.

According to team manager Andrew Cheong, Malaysia will be sending 36 athletes, aged 17 to early 30s, to compete in five medal events.

“I can proudly say that for the first time in the SEA Games, we have an all-female team from Malaysia to compete for Mobile Legends Bang Bang (MLBB),” Cheong says.

The seven female athletes competing in MLBB are Vanessa “Bunny” Natasha Abdullah, Sharifah “Aria” Alia Husna, Anatasha “Anatasha” Norman, Hanis “Hanie” Wahidah Mohamad Dashuki, Nurul Effa “Fafau” Fauzana Mohd Fauzi, Nur Afrina “Rosemary” Syuhada Ahmad Shaltut and Wan Nur “Dibo” Adibah Humairah.

The esports athletes are undergoing a month-long boot camp at Bukit Jalil in Kuala Lumpur. — ANDREW CHEONG

For the MLBB open category, the players are Muhammad Danial “Cikugais” Mohamad Fuad, Idreen “Momo” Abdul Jamal, Mohamad Zul “Xorn” Hisham Mohd Noor, Muhammad Arif “Rippo” Abdul Halim, Muhammad Nazhan “Chibi” Mohd Nor, Mohammad Irwandy “Izanami” Lim and Muhammad Syafizan “Garyy” Najmi.

At the 2019 SEA Games in the Philippines, Malaysia took home a bronze medal in the MLBB open category. However, at the last SEA Games in Vietnam, Malaysia had to settle for fourth place.Malaysia is also sending two teams to compete in the PUBG Mobile open category.

Team 1 consists of athletes Muhammad Nur Azmi “Pasha” Mohamed Halim, Mohd Irzam “DamGOOD” Aman Mohd Zaini, Muhammad Dhiya “uHigh” Ulhaq Muhammad Arasz, Nadzrul “Stuxnet” Abd Sagal, Muhammad Daim “Mica” Rosli and Mohamad Nabil “Snipes” Nazaruddin.

In team 2, the players are Muhamad Izzrudin “Jumper” Hashim, Mohamad Azli “Oliyo” Amran, Muhammad Farish “FlaxOP” Husaini Zailani, Muhammad Syazwan “Yen” Adrian Mohd Sani and Ahmad Aiman “Echo” Ahmad Mahadzir.

Muhammad Izzrudin and Muhammad Nur Azmi (then as coach) were part of Team 1, which took home bronze at the SEA Games in Hanoi.

In the individual category, Muhammad Izzrudin was placed sixth, the highest achievement for a Malaysian player.

This year, tactical first-person shooter (FPS) game Valorant will be making its debut as an esports medal event at the SEA Games.

Malaysia will be represented by six players, namely Muhammad Arsyad “Aduka” Md Sazali, Shamir “Subbey” Aliff Saifu Zaman, Fakhrul “Jeed” Najeed Idris, Tarmizi “Kael” Rusli, Muhammad Hazeeq “Zeeq” Shammim Azad and Muhammad Adam “FrostyZ” Muhamad Nazri.

Malaysia is also sending a team for Mission Against Terror 2, a multiplayer FPS also known as AK2 in countries like Cambodia.

The six athletes competing in this event are Hariq “Puaka” Izzat Amirul Muhamad, Iqbal “matbal” Harun, Muhammad Syahmi “MwDx” Aiman Abd Jalani, Reydza “Zetsu” Pyar Dasha Mohd Fadilah, Shah “Kinda” Rullah Muadzah Sauki and Muhammad Fazrul “SaviourZ” Izwan Roslan.

All-star squad

Cheong says that the selection committee decided to put the athletes on the national team using an “all-star” approach by selecting the best players available instead of holding play-offs.

“Of course, there were some challenges. For instance, we had a tight timeline of about one week.

“For some titles like Valorant and Mission Against Terror 2, we had a smaller talent pool to choose from,” he says.

Valorant fans will likely notice the omission of Kelantanese athlete Khalish “d4v41” Rusyaidee, who is a player for the Singapore-based team Paper Rex.

Last year, the team made history as the first group from the Asian Pacific region to reach the finals of the Valorant Masters, a pro league tournament.

Cheong (centre), with assistant national team manager Megat Danish Izmeer and Muhammad Farouq Abdul Patah, member of the SEA Games Task Force Committee, will be leading the charge. — ANDREW CHEONG

“Sadly, he couldn’t join us due to his commitments with the Valorant franchise league. It’s a common issue with players based overseas.

“We reached out to him and had a great conversation, during which he also shared some pointers and advice. He really wanted to be able to represent Malaysia,” Cheong says.

Athletes on the national team will be committing to a month-long boot camp at Bukit Jalil in Kuala Lumpur starting this month.

“We have prepared the facilities they need to train. Every day they will go through health check-ups and we’ll be able to monitor their progress closely.

“There will be a quarantine period as well to ensure everyone remains in good health until it’s time to leave for Cambodia,” he says.

Cheong adds that some athletes will be sacrificing their Hari Raya holidays to focus on preparing for the SEA Games.

“There is a small window where we’ll allow the athletes to go home for Hari Raya but after that they must return to the boot camp,” Cheong says.

Some even had to take breaks from work and studies. However, a few players will only join the bootcamp after they have completed their commitments with their own professional leagues.

Cheong, who is managing the national esports team for the first time, also expressed his desire to bring good news to Malaysia.

“I do admit that there is some pressure to deliver results. Everyone understands why they need to do their best because they are setting the bar for the future growth of esports in the country,” he says.

He encourages fans to lend their support to the athletes by sending kind words during live streams when the players are training or having scrims (friendly matches).

“The athletes on social media do check out the comments and it means a lot to them,” he says.