After a celebratory announcement of their third year anniversary this week, we didn't expect to write up this news today. Yoodo announced that their partnership with Wulf Esports has come to an end and they will be parting ways with the PUBG Mobile boys aka the Gank squad. To commemorate the occasion, they released a thank you video celebrating the team's achievements.
The team shot to fame after winning the PUBG Mobile Malaysia National Championship 2018 and Selangor Cybergames 2019, and looked unstoppable after winning the PUBG Mobile Pro League - Spring Split 2020: Southeast Asia but since then they've been struggling to achieve the same heights. There's no telling where the boys will go from here, but we hope to see them stick around the competitive scene. All the best to Draxx, ManParang, Bravo, Putra and Dep!
As for Yoodo, perhaps they'll be sponsoring RSG MY's PUBG Mobile squad instead? After all, they already have an existing relationship. Stay tuned to eGG Network for more news and updates on the PUBG Mobile esports scene.
One of Malaysia's most (deservedly) popular PUBG Mobile professional team may have caused fans to be apprehensive in the first Weekday matches of PMPL MY/SG Season 3, in which they placed 10th. However, after placing third in Super Weekend 1 with some fantastic plays, Yoodo Gank have proven again why they're the best in the business.
Here are the golden boys that round up Yoodo Gank:
Aiman Amirul “Manparang” Mohd Sahid - Captain
Abdul Azim Ikromi “Draxx” bin Abdul Rashid - Sniper
Lokman Hakim "Bravo" Abdul Saddar - Rusher
Fairul “Putra” Iskandar Putra - Support
Azim Haris "Wrydep" Mohd Puhatdi - Rusher
Agusalim “Hahagus” bin Amran - Coach
Yoodo Gank's throng of devotees may not have expected their favourite team to have a bumpy start, but as a matter of fact, the players themselves already predicted this to happen, as revealed in our interview with them two weeks prior the start of PMPL. "We may have a rough start and be a little slow at first, but in the end, we'll slowly climb to the top 5 (at least)," said sniper Draxx.
After missing out on the prestigious PMGC 2020, as a result of placing ninth in PMPL SEA Finals Season 2, the team's renewed confidence warrants admiration. It goes without saying that they were disappointed with the outcome, but like the soldiers they are, Yoodo Gank gritted their teeth and focused on training more frequently to build their chemistry with new members Bravo of Dingoz MZ, Putra of Team SMG, and new kid on the block, Wrydep. ("We couldn't get Paraboy", joked ManParang.)
“Obviously I’m excited because I get to play with ManParang and Draxx,” Putra exclaimed, a sentiment echoed by both Bravo and Wrydep (who wouldn't feel the same competing with their idols?). ManParang divulged that he and Draxx took in the duo due to the fact that they were Terminators in last season's PMPL MY/SG, a weekly title awarded to the player with the most kills. Not to mention they happened to be without a team - Putra and Bravo left their respective teams. The whole process of shortlisting and contacting them only took one night.
Jemput makan guys! Missing BravoGaming ngan Dev nih... #theoneandactually
Posted by Yoodo Gank on Tuesday, 2 March 2021
"I was busy playing games when Draxx disturbed me relentlessly!" Putra complained good-naturedly. "He called me even after I told him I was busy, so I was like, 'Okay la, I join la." From Draxx's perspective, he jokingly pestered Putra at first without showing his true intentions. "Then, when I asked if he wanted to join Yoodo Gank, we immediately went on Discord to talk."
As for Wrydep, who is being trained as the future generation of Yoodo Gank, ManParang discovered the boy wonder when he was helping out TRX Elementus in PMNC 2020. He saw the rookie performing well when paired with fellow teammate, Kim (RSG), like a good combo. “He’s a capable player,” he said. “He just needs to polish his skills a little and grind more, then he can go far.” Wrydep won't be competing in PMPL MY/SG just yet, because he's one year shy of meeting the minimum age requirement of 16.
For now, we can only wonder how the Malaysian team would perform once they reach their full potential. The trio have been learning to be better players from the veterans and coach Hahagus, with Putra even hanging his mantle as an offensive player to opt for a more supportive role. He admitted, "I'm still not doing my job properly as a support, I can't help but be at the front to get kills." Old habits die hard, but Putra is adamant to take up his new responsibility, especially when he can learn from the best like ManParang, who's also a support player.
Bravo's duty as a rusher remains the same, though his improvement comes in the form of him improving his in-game positioning, as well as being less kill-hungry. "These 'old fellows' (ManParang, Drax and Hahagus) always scold me when I get too aggressive," he said, with the rest bashing him humorously. It's a mindset that Putra also had to adapt to, elaborating that Team SMG likes to adopt "a more YOLO ('you only live once' or offensive and risky) playstyle". Yoodo Gank, in contrast, plays more systematically, so they have to learn their system to play as a uniformed team.
The squad's decision to switch up their roster came after Jumper, Fredo and iNaoki decided to leave. "We don't know why they left, but I'm sure they have a good reason," ManParang shared, adding that only the team manager knows. The news was met with mixed feelings, saddening the captain a little due to the chemistry they've built since 2019. "In the end, it's okay, we just have to move on."
Draxx received the news without feeling out of sorts, because he knew that they "can rebuild the team again", which proves to be the case with the new additions. "We just might play better than before, once we reach our 100%."
With a fantastic sponsor like Malaysia's first digital telco company Yoodo backing them, there's no doubt that the five-man squad can reach their full potential. "Thanks to Yoodo as our sponsor since 2019, we managed to achieve many great feats, like being the PMPL SEA Finals Season 1 champions and competing in PMWL 2020 East," ManParang expressed.
And of course, Chow Tuck Mun, the head of Yoodo, shares the same enthusiasm, believing that the two have developed a successful relationship. "Both the players and the team behind them are incredibly hardworking and talented. They have helped build Yoodo's name within the esports community, but more importantly, they have helped build Malaysia’s name in the global esports arena."
Staying committed to building Yoodo Gank to be the very best PUBG Mobile esports team, Yoodo undoubtedly have plans to continue that effort. "There are some exciting initiatives involving Yoodo Gank in the works, but unfortunately, I’m not able to reveal anything just yet. You can rest assured that whatever comes next will be exciting for both Yoodo Gank and gaming fans."
Yoodo recently announced their continued partnership with Moonton as the official telco of Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. In addition to MPL MY Season 7 and 8, it will extend to MSC, MPL Invitational and M3 – all the major MLBB events this year. Yoodo also unveiled that they're sponsoring RSG Malaysia’s new teams in MLBB and COD: Mobile, Yoodo RSG.
More esports initiatives by Yoodo are underway, but alas, Tuck Mun has to remain mum on the matter ... for now. "We’ll be expanding our product offerings to continue catering to the growing esports community in Malaysia, so stay tuned to Yoodo’s Facebook, Instagram and our esports-focused page, Yoodo Esports, to stay updated."
You can stay up to date on Yoodo Gank's updates on Facebook and Instagram.
PMPL MY/SG Season 3 began 24 March, running every Wednesdays to Sundays at 5.30PM (GMT +8) daily, broadcast LIVE on the official PUBG Mobile Facebook page and YouTube.
Follow eGG Network on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for more PUBG Mobile coverage.
It's confirmed - Fredo, Jumper and iNaoki have been officially released from Yoodo Gank. After slightly more than a year with the squad for Fredo and Jumper, and five months for iNaoki, the team will be making official changes to its roster.
The departure of Fredo and Jumper has been speculated since they were replaced by Bravo and Putra for Yoodo Gank's MEC 2020 registration. Whether or not this is a permanent change, only time can tell.
No reason was provided over the split, and we can only hope that it was amicable. Perhaps Fredo has rediscovered his passion for MOBAs? Or he was given another offer elsewhere?
Since winning PMPL SEA 2020 back in May, Yoodo Gank appeared to have lost their footing and have done poorly at subsequent tournaments. Maybe this change was needed to reignite the spark of the team. We look forward to seeing how they perform at upcoming tournaments and wish everyone all the best in their future endeavours. In the meantime, we'll keep our eyes peeled on where the ex-Yoodo boys will be headed! Any guesses?
Stay tuned to eGG Network for all the latest news and updates on the PUBG Mobile scene!
If you’ve been around the Malaysian PUBG Mobile esports scene, you’re almost certainly familiar with who Yoodo Gank are. In the event that our dear reader isn’t, Yoodo Gank are, without a doubt, the top fan favourites in the country, with captain ManParang, fragger Fredo, Jumper, and Draxx as household names in the mobile battle royale scene (not forgetting new member iNaoki, who’s still earning his stripes).
However, today’s highlight isn’t about the champions of the PMPL SEA (PUBG Mobile Professional League Southeast Asia) Finals Season 1. We figured it’s time we turn the spotlight to the 23-year-old guardian/teacher of the star boys, who is none other than coach Agusalim “Hahagus” bin Amran.
Hahagus: Aside from a few rounds, the team and I were pretty satisfied with our result and performance. We actually weren’t too worried about placements in PMPL MY/SG Season 2, because we already qualified for PMPL SEA Finals Season 2 as the defending champions. More importantly, we wanted to focus on improving ourselves for the regional tournament and secure a spot for the PUBG Mobile Global Championship (PMGC) Season Zero.
Having said that, we still played PMPL MY/SG seriously and even took the advantage to do a lot of experiments, especially resolving the mistakes we made in PMWL (PUBG Mobile World League) Season Zero and improving our basics (e.g. circle reading, timing, rotation, communication, decision-making) to S-class levels. After PMPL MY/SG, I strongly believe that our new tactics will now work a lot better in the SEA Finals.
Hahagus: The biggest challenge was that other teams quickly understood our play style, knowing what decisions we wanted to make, our rotation and timing, and so on, not to mention that the meta changes every day. Our gameplay may have worked on a national and regional level, but on a global scale, there’s a bit more emphasis on who’s faster and who shoots better. Not that we can’t win, but we lack the experience fighting other big teams, especially those from India - they have their own system and their aggressiveness is on another level, to the point that they’re willing to get knocked down and take high risks.
Personally, I could correctly estimate Malaysian/Singaporean and SEA teams’ patterns, but I can’t fully comprehend global teams yet, especially Indian teams, so I probably need to use add maths to do so. (laughs)
Hahagus: It was a very tight competition amongst teams in League Season. Even though everyone’s playstyle pretty much remained the same, they made up for it by improving their gameplay a lot. There were some teams I expected to do well in the Grand Finals, but I was surprised they ended up falling short, which were AXIS NRL MPX and J8 Esports.
The most dangerous team is obviously Team Secret, who are on the same level - maybe even more so - as us. Team SMG is also quite a unique team, having won League Season last split. Although they didn’t do well in the Finals after, they managed to be extremely consistent throughout this season.
Hahagus: For now, Naoki hasn’t had much time to train together with the others, aside from PMPL MY/SG, which was a good time for him to bond with them (he took over Manparang’s place in League Season when his wife was giving birth). Naoki was more of a rusher when he was with other teams like Geek Fam, but in Yoodo Gank, he became more of a multi-role player, switching between rusher and even support like Manparang.
Naoki would most likely not be playing in the PMPL SEA Finals, because it’s vital for us to get a slot in PMGC, not to mention that he hasn’t built enough chemistry within the team yet. Looking back on our main lineup, it took them a long time to get to where they are, so Naoki would need to train a bit more first before he can play in the big leagues.
Hahagus: Our main objective is to fix everything that didn’t work out in PMPL, including communication, decision-making skills and critical thinking. We’ll also work on raising the survival skills of each player. At the end of the day, instead of defending our championship title, we’re prioritising to get a top 4 spot to enter PMGC and get better results while we’re at it.
Hahagus: When we get too comfortable in-game. One example that this would happen is when we got the circle, and we wind up relaxing a bit too much before getting ambushed and shot down, causing our plans to fall apart. The best thing we can do is remind each other to not be overly-relaxed, remember our objectives, and take notes before playing to not make this mistake.
Hahagus: I joined Yoodo Gank in January this year, which is actually my Plan B: to be a coach or analyst for PUBG Mobile. My Plan A is to be a professional PUBG PC player, but it fell apart after my former team (Redsea Esport) did badly in our last tournament. I remembered Plan B after that happened, so I contacted Kevin Wong (manager of Yoodo Gank) over the phone and asked him if he knew any openings for those roles. As luck would have it, Yoodo Gank needed someone to fill that position. I wasn’t sure if I was the right person for the role at first, but after talking to Kevin again in person, he assured me that I could contribute to the team, which is why I accepted his offer.
I still play PUBG PC competitively, this time in SEAGM.WULF, but I’m more of a substitute player and also a coach. My main responsibility is still coaching Yoodo Gank.
Hahagus: I would say mine is simple, geared more towards mastering the basics, which I believe is most important. This includes communication, how to enter the circle, and how to engage in team fights, which can all be taken to the next level - it's a matter of how we refine them to be better players. I also focus on letting the players play to their strengths, and I’ll help out by adding on and improving them. The players of Yoodo Gank actually know a lot about the game already, so I let them concentrate on playing, while I do my part of spotting their mistakes and guiding them.
Hahagus: I stream PUBG Mobile or PUBG PC on my rest days. When there’s training, I will prepare the team’s practise schedule, set targets or objectives for the day, monitor their training, and so on. If I have extra time, I’ll look back on old gameplay footage and analyse them. Yoodo Gank is actually at a pretty high level already, so they don’t need stressful sessions; they only need to focus on things they can’t do, fix them and make it happen, as well as improve their strengths.
During tournaments, I encourage them to concentrate on enjoying the game and to let me take over the stress and worry over the strategies while giving them reminders. It’s best to not let them overthink, in case they get overwhelmed. Competition periods aren’t the time to find mistakes; instead, move on from what has happened and do better in the next games. Stay calm and steady, and they will make the right calls.
Hahagus: I’m happier than before. As a coach, I’m a role model to everyone, so I have to be a good example. I admit that I wasn’t the most disciplined person before joining Yoodo Gank, but when I got this position, I started instilling discipline in myself so that the boys will follow suit. I’m like a teacher to them, but I’m also their guardian, to show love when they’re stressed out and to be understanding of their struggles.
The biggest obstacle we’ve been facing is advancing to the next level after reaching our highest current tier. We may be seen as a strong team, but we still think that it’s not enough. We’re always looking for ways to improve and do more than we thought possible, although levelling up is hard since it’s new territory and it’s out of our comfort zone. Regardless, we’ll keep figuring out how to progress.
For me, my brightest highlights are when I see the players playing super calmly when they’re fully enjoying the game. Even when we won the championship title for the PMPL SEA Finals, it wasn’t as big a deal for me as when they’re smiling, enjoying the moment. It’s a form of achievement for me, on a simpler, human level.
Hahagus: If you want to be a teacher or coach, what’s most important is to have good knowledge about what you want to teach/coach. It’s a bonus if you have experience because it would be easier for you to understand the situation and explain it better with facts and logic, which is better than teaching it based on imagination and assumptions.
Watch Yoodo Gank defend their championship title in the PMPL SEA Finals Season 2, from 23 - 25 October! Follow the official PUBG Mobile page for more updates on the tournament, and don’t forget to follow eGG Network too for more PUBG Mobile coverage.
Looks like some changes are about at Yoodo Gank's camp - the team announced yesterday on Facebook the addition of the fifth man to their roster: Azmal "iNaoki" Jasni. Formerly from Geek Fam, this seasoned player might be what the team needs to help them with their consistency.
While iNaoki won't be joining the squad for the ongoing PUBG Mobile World League (PMWL) Season Zero (which kicks off tomorrow), he will be playing with them for the upcoming PUBG Mobile Professional League Malaysia/Singapore Season 2. No word on which member he'll be replacing, but his presence should help shake things up for the team.
Look forward to catching him in action in the near future, in the meantime stay tuned to eGG Network for all the latest news and updates on PUBG Mobile!
Just when we thought we knew what to expect, League Play Week 2 of the PUBG Mobile World League (PMWL) Spring Split 2020 Season Zero East Division gave us a few unexpected twists that brought both joy and despair for its fans.
Here are the full lineup of teams who advanced to Super Weekend Week 2:
In a shocking turn of events, Yoodo Gank (Malaysia) failed to make it to Super Weekend 2, along with Nova GodLike (India), Morph Team (Indonesia) and NoChanceTeam (Mongolia). This is the first time that the Malaysian and Mongolian teams didn't secure enough points to reach the top 16, the former missing merely two points to reach the bare minimum of 16th place.
Yoodo Gank performed reasonably enough in terms of kill volume, bagging 27 eliminations that tower over half of the participating teams. However, it was the lack of Winner Winner Chicken Dinners (WWCDs) and four "too soons" (bowing out too early in the bottom six) that weighed down their rankings. With no chance to maintain their current fourth place in the Super Weekend, the next League Play is more crucial than ever if they want to guarantee a spot in the League Finals.
On the other hand, after placing 13th in League Play Week 1, Team Secret made a comeback this time by surging upwards to second place with 95 points. With a healthy helping of two WWCDs and 38 kills, the renowned esports team need only replicate their League Play Week 2 success to soar higher in the Super Weekend standings.
The PMWL 2020 East Super Weekend returns tomorrow and the weekend (24 - 26 July) at 8PM (GMT +8). Catch the PUBG Mobile world event on eGG Network TV channel, or if you're an online user, Facebook and YouTube. Be sure to follow eGG Network on Facebook for more PMWL 2020 East coverage.
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