Philippines team KUMU is ready to pounce on unsuspecting competition at the Pokémon UNITE World Championships 2023 in Yokohama.
This year marks a big achievement for the Filipino Pokémon UNITE community as two teams will be representing the region at the Pokémon UNITE World Championships: OMO Abyssinian and KUMU. This is also the first time a Philippine-based team will set foot on the World stage.
KUMU’s manager Albert “Berty” Camp, also known as the “Mother of Dragons” in the local community, spoke to ONE Esports about how their preparation is coming along.
Playing against International teams will be a huge challenge for KUMU
After emerging from the qualifiers, KUMU are now challenged in new ways — they lack experience competing against Pokémon UNITE teams outside the Asia region.
“We feel pressured right now. Before, when we entered the qualifiers, we were confident, as we are familiar with the teams that we’re going to go against, but this time it’s different. We have no idea what the western regional teams will do in a match. We’ve watched them, but it’s really different when you’re in the game,” Berty said.
The team has taken steps to prepare for the upcoming tournament. They’ve been trying their best to set up scrimmages and practice matches with the teams competing in the World Championships.
“As much as we can, we are scheduling scrims with the other qualified teams for when we arrive in Japan to get practice and an idea of how they will play,” he said.
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Being one of the first comes with a lot of responsibilities
A distinctive trait of Filipinos is their penchant for celebrating even the smallest connections to their culture. This concept of “Filipino Pride” means that they commemorate anything, everything, and anyone associated with their heritage.
KUMU therefore, feels the responsibility to answer the cheers of every Filipino giving them their support.
Anonymity in any competitive space is a huge advantage and KUMU will make sure to make the most of it. “We hear a lot that we are getting looked down on, but they have to see our resumes– each players’ resume– because if they finally see those resumes, they will see us as a threat,” said Berty.
We’ll have to see if Berty’s hopes and dreams come to fruition on August 11 to 12 in the Pokémon UNITE World Championships.
Stay up to date with KUMU’s Pokémon UNITE journey through Berty’s Twitter account.
READ MORE: Get Mega Mewtwo X for free by playing Pokémon UNITE
