While hosting UAAP Season 84, DLSU has been making moves on and off the court, with the University recently revealing that they will be partnering with Moonton as the newest brand ambassador for Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) in the Philippines.
To commemorate the partnership, Moonton discloses that Green Archers head coach Derrick Pumaren, Green Archers team captain Justine “Balti” Baltazar, Lady Spikers team captain Marionne Alba, and Animo Squad captain Lance Lacsamana will be featured to have skins of their own for various heroes in the game. The company expresses, “We are very excited to showcase the skins of the athletes, which took months to complete.”
In the history of MLBB, this will be only the second occasion in which living people will be immortalized in the game’s collection of hero skins. Sen. Manny Pacquiao was the first to be featured with his “Paquito” skin, which was released on April 13 of last year.
Bating his way through
Nothing is more fitting for a star like Baltazar to don the new skin of the hero Badang. Known as a fearless fighter who specializes in using his muscles to dominate and knock his enemies down one by one, he is the most similar to Balti’s style of play. The La Salle steward was astonished after finding out he would be featured in the game, “Grabe yung gulat ko. Hindi ko naman inexpect na mafefeature ako sa game na ‘to. Grateful ako sa Moonton at napili nila ako para sa bagong skin ni Badang.”
(I was very shocked. I didn’t expect to be featured in this game. I’m grateful that Moonton chose me to be the new skin of Badang.)
Old school cool
MLBB’s resident cowboy, Clint, hails from West Justice and is an active marksman who attacks with both his revolver and rifle. He is an old-school Westerner whose charm keeps chivalry alive.
Clint’s style emulates that of Pumaren. While Clint attempts to revive chivalry, Pumaren aims to revive DLSU’s chances for the championship this season. Despite being known as a disciplinarian on the court, Pumaren hilariously reacts to his MLBB character, “Natawa nga ako eh, may cowboy hat pa ako. It was really creative so I’d like to thank Moonton for the opportunity; I’ll be playing the game tuwing may free time ako.”
(It made me laugh, I even have a cowboy hat. I’ll be playing the game whenever I have free time.)
Mischief at its best
Meanwhile, Lacsamana will be MLBB’s Claude, whose persona is that of a sleek character who slithers his way through the battlefield.
Alluding to Lacsamana’s silky moves and unparalleled school spirit, Moonton is glad to have him represent their notoriously lustrous character, as they state, “We are tremendously excited to see what Lance has to offer this season. Lance is sure to thrive as Animo Squad’s captain this year.”
Lacsamana echoes Moonton’s excitement, and shares, “It’s quite rare for a video game to feature athletes like us from the Animo Squad. But I am very ecstatic about how popular the cheerdance competition has become; maybe that’s why I was featured in the first place.”
Controlled chaos
On the other hand, veteran setter Alba was chosen as inspiration for crafty marksman Bellatrix, who possesses a wide range of attacking abilities—similar to Alba’s style of play. Bellatrix, a hero who often resides in the middle lane of the map, leads her team’s offense. This is similar to Alba’s orchestration of her team’s attacks as the now main setter for the season
Apart from that, Bellatrix is one of the more cerebral heroes in MLBB, being one of the most talented scientists in all of Eruditio. Moonton feels that Bellatrix’s versatile style suits Alba, commenting, “Bellatrix and Alba share many similarities, from their style up to their personality. We feel that they really suit each other.”
While some may question the newly formed partnership between DLSU and Moonton, the latter assures its fanbase that this move will bring new players into the game, as it has been seeing a decrease in popularity in the past few years. “The introduction of Sen. Manny Pacquiao last year to our game was a huge success and now will be no different,” the company claims. “Featuring some of the best and most popular athletes in video games is always a great move.”
With over 100 in-game heroes, Moonton promises to feature more athletes and coaches in the future, “We are excited to share our ideas with everybody. There are still so many heroes that deserve to have a UAAP-themed skin.”
Maybe in the next few months, everyone’s favorite game can be played with their favorites as well—this time with more athletes and coaches hailing from different schools or teams nationwide.