SIBOL will lean on its recent Pokémon UNITE World Championship experience as the Philippines begins its Asian Games campaign at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026.
The Philippine squad is made up of the Team Nemesis lineup that finished joint ninth-to-16th at the recent World Championship in San Francisco, giving the team international experience heading into the Asian Games.
Team Nemesis lineup carries PH campaign
Kim Rey Salazar, Michael Vaughn Ocio, Ducke Leoncio, Lawrence Gatmaitan, Robert Mempin, and Lance David make up the SIBOL roster, with Albert Camp serving as head coach.
The team enters Aichi-Nagoya after facing several of the world’s top Pokémon UNITE squads in San Francisco.
Camp said the World Championship performance has also made SIBOL a team that opponents are likely to prepare for, but the coach does not want that to lead to complacency.
“Sa performance namin last month sa World Championship, kami ata ang pinaghahandaan nilang lahat. Pero hindi ako overconfident. Ayaw ko i-underestimate ang kalaban at patuloy kami sa mga surprise draft at sisiguraduhin namin na nasa right state of mind kami,” said Camp.
SIBOL opens against Kazakhstan
SIBOL begins its Asian Games campaign against Kazakhstan at 11:50 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 25, at Aichi Sky Expo.
The Philippines then faces Chinese Taipei at 9 a.m. and Malaysia at 2:40 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 26.
Camp sees familiarity with Chinese Taipei and Malaysia as one potential advantage, having faced both teams multiple times over the past four years.
“Maganda para sa amin ang bracket namin. Nakalaban na namin ang Chinese Taipei at Malaysia multiple times over the past four years,” Camp said.
The team, supported by the Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee, Smart, Cignal, TV5, and Arena Social, continues to prepare for Kazakhstan while adjusting its strategies for each opponent.
Camp prepares for fast-paced games
Camp emphasized the need for SIBOL to stay flexible throughout the tournament, particularly because Pokémon UNITE games can change quickly.
“Sa Pokémon UNITE game, mabilis mabaliktad ang laro. So ang expectation namin ay maging handa din sa mga ipapakitang surprise strategy ng kalaban. For us to achieve this, kailangan namin maging in-sync with proper communication and right state of mind during the games para makuha ang gold,” said Camp.
SIBOL’s goal is straightforward: win the gold medal while showing that its World Championship run was not a one-off result.
“Ang main goal is for the gold. Hindi kami tumitigil magkaroon ng various strategy araw-araw during practice. Gusto namin pang patunayan na kasama kami sa strongest team ng Asia.”
