From stage to ‘battlefield’: P-pop idols clash in MLBB Tournament

MANILA, Philippines — Seventy-two P-pop idols, 23 P-pop groups and 12 teams recently gathered at the SM North EDSA Annex Atrium for one battlefield, the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) P-pop Tournament.

Organized by JuanCast and Sidus, the event transformed the usual concert atmosphere into a full-blown gaming arena as idols traded microphones for mobile phones and fandoms into full-blown esports supporters.

Among the participating teams were Youngstunna (Bilib), 6ENSE, Glitch (GAT, PIX!E, RAYA and 1621), AZTER, Arcana (GenZix and NXT), ECHO, Team UBE (Cloud 7, Klarylea and Yes My Love), NGL (Alamat and Xerenade), HYR Legends (Hi-HOPE, Ysla and Rey), Sunny Side Up (Project WAN and Star Hunt) and RÆVEN (HORI7ON), bringing together multiple P-pop groups and fandoms in one tournament.

The event also featured a special exhibition match between BGYO x WRIVE and MPL team ONIC Uprising, giving fans a rare crossover between P-pop idols and professional esports players.

JuanCast founder Gabriel Oreta, in his opening speech, described the event as a space where idols could be seen beyond the stage.

“Idol League ay hindi lang basta competition. This is where idols step off the stage and step into the arena,” Gabriel said.

Second placer is Glitch, with members from GAT, PIX!E, RAYA and 1621.

He also emphasized how the tournament aimed to bring different P-pop artists together.

“This is built on a simple but powerful idea, bringing P-pop idols together beyond the stage,” he added.

And true enough, idols who are used to performing on stages suddenly found themselves panicking over rotations and getting wiped out by pro players in front of a screaming crowd.

For BGYO and WRIVE, the experience was a completely different kind of pressure.

6ENSE lands in the third place.

“Sobrang different,” WRIVE’s Russu said when asked how performing compares to competing in Mobile Legends. “Hindi namin kabisado yung galawan sa mga ML tournament.”

The group laughed while confessing they barely had time to prepare.

“Wala talagang preparations, tulog lang,” JL of BGYO said.

Still, despite getting overwhelmed by experienced players, the members said the event gave fans a chance to see a more relaxed and authentic side of them.

“Very refreshing ito for us and for the fans. Nakaka-relate sila sa ginagawa namin. For sure, may fans din kami na naglalaro ng ML. So, habang pinapanood nila kami, parang kasama nila kami sa laro,” Akira of BGYO shared.

The group also admitted the nerves hit differently inside the gaming arena.

“Mas nakakaba ito kasi parang binubugbog ka. Hindi mo alam kung sino sumusuntok,” Russu said while recalling their chaotic match.

Meanwhile, HORI7ON described the tournament as less physical and more mental as compared to performing onstage.

“‘pag performance, medyo physical yung labanan doon. Pero ‘pag dito naman, it’s more of a mental challenge,” Marcus said.

The group appreciated how gaming allowed fans to connect with them beyond their idol image.

“They see us as idols only, and then ngayon, we play as RÆVEN. Nakikita nila yung other side sa amin,” Winston of HORI7ON said.

One of the loudest crowd reactions of the event came from mixed-group teams made up of members from different P-pop acts. Team GLITCH, composed of members from GAT, PIX!E, RAYA and 1621, emerged as second-place winners despite only practising together the night before.

“Kagabi lang kami nag-practice as a group, pero still (we) managed to get to first place,” Hans of GAT shared.

For the team, chemistry mattered more than hours of preparation.

“Parang gano’n lang din sa P-pop. Kung may chemistry kayo, yung vibe niyo solid na,” DJ of 1621 said.

The players also emphasized respect as the reason they unexpectedly made it to the finals.

“Meron kaming respect sa isa’t isa. Kapag merong opinion yung isa, nirerespeto namin,” Hans said.

Eventually, the championship title went to Team UBE, a mixed lineup featuring members from Cloud 7, Klaryle and Yes My Love.

The winners admitted they never expected to take home the title.

“Nagulat kami. We didn’t expect to win this championship, pero dahil sa teamwork, connection at chemistry namin, nagawa namin siya nang maayos,” PJ of Cloud 7 said.

Like many teams in the tournament, UBE barely had enough time to train.

“Yesterday lang yung proper training,” Yes My Love member RZ shared.

But according to them, teamwork carried them through every match.

“You just have to work as a team talaga. You have to understand each other para you can be successful,” PJ said.

Even professional MLBB players enjoyed seeing idols enter their world.

Members of ONIC Uprising said the event gave esports a chance to reach an even wider audience through P-pop fandoms.

“Makikita din ng mga idols nila na naglalaro din ng game. So, it’s a good ecosystem for the game,” ONIC’s Mico said.

The pro players also noticed how intense the energy inside the venue became.

“Parang mas intense kasi mas malakas yung sigawan,” ONIC’s Nathz shared.

For Alamat and Xerenade’s joint team NGL, the crossover felt refreshing because it was so unexpected.

“Talo kami sa game, pero panalo kami sa fans,” Alamat member R-Ji joked after hearing fans scream every time their characters got chased or eliminated.

When asked which is more nerve-wracking between performing and competing in-game, Thomas from Alamat said, “Yung nag-face ng opponent. May kalaban ka kasi kailangan talaga ng teamwork. Sa performance, mas about pagpapasaya lang ng tao.”

6ENSE, which eventually secured third place in the tournament, admitted they entered the competition with more confidence than actual wins in practice.

“Nag-practice game kami, pero talo kami sa practice game namin. Wala po kaming pinanalo,” LA said.

Hunter of 6ENSE also pointed out how similar gaming preparation is to performing onstage.

“Sa performing, our whole body is working. Same lang din sa paglalaro. We need to use our brains to strategize everything out para manalo rin sa game,” he said.

Still, the members appreciated how the tournament showcased another side of P-pop beyond performances.

“Maganda rin na may ganitong platform for P-pop para makita yung ibang side ng P-pop. Hindi lang pag-perform,” Axis said.

Despite the competition, the atmosphere inside the venue stayed light and supportive, with idols cheering for each other regardless of which team they belonged to.

By the end of the tournament, Team UBE emerged as champions, followed by Glitch in second place, 6ENSE in third place, and Arcana rounding out the Top Four.