After Garena qualifier, Blacklist's F1ex says to exit CODM scene "for now"

MANILA -- Blacklist International Ultimate placed third in the Garena qualifier of the Call of Duty Mobile (CODM) World Championships 2021 held from October 7 to 17, competing with 11 other teams from Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.

Blacklist (formerly from Ultimate E-Pro), who qualified after its players became finalists of the local championship, finished bronze after sweeping Thailand squad WDC.Freeslot in a vengeful 3-0 win. WDC.Freeslot swept them to start the qualifiers last October 7.

Before that, Blacklist fell out of finals contention after losing to Indonesian squad DG Esports in a thrilling 2-3 matchup in the semifinals.

Blacklist, along with fellow Filipino squad Omega Esports, qualified after faring out as finalists in the local championship. As Ultimate E-Pro, they defeated Omega Esports through a 3-1 upset in the Grand Finals.

• esports: Blacklist Ultimate, Omega secure CODM regional qualifier playoff slots
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Omega, whose team consisted of 2020 Garena champions NRX Jeremiah 29:11, sank in their quarterfinal matchup against DG Esports (3-1).

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Singaporean squad Almighty emerged as champions after defeating DG Esports, 3-1, securing the slot for the World Championship proper to be held later this year.

After the series, Blacklist player Neil Isaac "F1ex" Perez on Monday announced he will be exiting the local CODM scene for now to prioritize other things in his personal life.

"We all come to a time where we need to choose what we need to prioritize, and sadly, competing is not a priority for me as of this moment," he said in a Facebook post Monday.

Representing the country in international stages is a honor, he added.

"The thrill and the agony of going against such a highly competitive pool of players, especially in the Philippine CODM pro scene, has me ecstatic as I cherish those moments. It has been an honor to represent the Philippines on the international stage and I will be forever grateful for the opportunity of a lifetime," he said, thanking his teammates, coaches, and supporters.

ROSTER

John Benedict "JaBen" Julio
Railey "Yobabs" Abrenica
Gian "Yato" Socao
Martin "Tin" Yap
Neil Isaac "F1ex" Perez
Aj "Eiji" Agbing
Kenn "Kensh1" Ortiz
Averson "skerd" Salaya