Who Is Innocent? MLBB Player Profile & MPL PH S17

John Vincent "Innocent" Banal is 21 years old. He holds four MPL Malaysia championship titles, two Finals MVP awards, a Mid-Season Cup title, and the distinction of scoring the first Savage in M7 World Championship history. And yet, for a large chunk of the Philippine fanbase, the name only started registering this season.

That changes now.

#Who Is Innocent?

Full name: John Vincent Banal IGN: Innocent Born: May 12, 2004 Nationality: Filipino Role: Gold Laner Current team: Selangor Red Giants (MPL Malaysia)

Innocent is a 21-year-old Filipino gold laner who built one of the most decorated careers in the history of Malaysian MLBB, entirely as a foreign import. He is not the loudest player in the room. He does not play with the flashy, high-risk aggression that defines players like Oheb or Kelra. What he brings is something rarer in the gold lane: relentless consistency, elite late-game positioning, and a macro sense that makes opposing defenses break down in slow motion.

He studied those players growing up. He named Kelra, Oheb, Bennyqt, and Emman as the gold laners he admired most as a rookie. The gap between him and his idols no longer exists.

#From TNC's Bottom Finishes to SRG's Dynasty

Innocent's path to the top was not smooth. He entered professional MLBB through TNC Pro Team in MPL PH Season 11 (2023). TNC finished last both times he suited up for them, in Seasons 11 and 12. The team struggled. The results were brutal. But the individual numbers from Innocent caught eyes, strong laning, disciplined positioning, no ego plays in losing games.

After Season 12, Coach Michael "Arcadia" Bocado came calling. Arcadia, the same tactician who would later architect some of the most dominant team performances in MPL Malaysia history, recruited Innocent and fellow Filipino EXP laner Kramm to Selangor Red Giants.

The move transformed both players. And it transformed SRG.

#Four Titles. Two Finals MVPs. One Historic Record.

From his first season in Malaysia, Innocent was not just a contributor, he was the carry.

In MPL Malaysia Season 13 (2024), Innocent won the Regular Season MVP and powered SRG to their first championship. He followed that with another league title in Season 14. Then Season 15, where he broke every statistical barrier the league had seen: most Savages (4), most Maniacs (5), most kills (208), highest GPM (818) in a single season. He also took home the Season 15 Finals MVP.

SRG became the first team in MPL Malaysia history to win four consecutive championships. Innocent was the engine for all of them.

The international results matched. SRG won the MLBB Mid-Season Cup 2024, Malaysia's first-ever major international MLBB title. Innocent was central to that run, including a victory over AP Bren in the Grand Finals. At MSC 2025, SRG reached the Grand Finals again, finishing runners-up.

Then came M7.

#The First Savage in M7 World Championship History

At the M7 World Championship in January 2026, SRG entered as Malaysia's representatives and genuine contenders. The Philippines-dominated bracket meant every SRG win was amplified, but Innocent delivered on the biggest stage.

His Savage against Team Liquid PH in the Swiss Stage became the first ever Savage recorded at an M7 World Championship. MPL PH's official pages shared the clip. The Philippine fanbase, which had largely watched Innocent from a distance for two years, suddenly knew his name.

He was named Star of the Day for Day 4 of the Swiss Stage.

SRG's run ended in the lower bracket final, where they fell 1-3 to Alter Ego, the eventual Grand Finalists. Third place. At the most-watched mobile esports match ever recorded, which hit 5.59 million peak concurrent viewers. Innocent played on that stage.

#Hero Pool and Playstyle

Innocent's hero pool reflects his identity as a player. He is not a one-trick. He plays the meta, adapts to it, and executes within it at the highest level.

His most recognized performances have come on Melissa, a hero that rewards precision positioning above all else, and marksmen like Brody and Wanwan in seasons where those heroes defined the gold lane meta. He is not the type to force a comfort pick in a losing draft. He takes what the team needs and maximizes it.

What makes him dangerous is objective efficiency. Innocent does not spend gold laner resources on unnecessary skirmishes. He scales, he controls vision around the Turtle and Lord, and when the teamfight comes, he is already in the position to deal the damage that ends the game. That discipline is exactly what coach Arcadia built SRG's system around.

#Why Is He Trending Heading Into MPL PH S17?

The M7 Savage moment put Innocent in front of an audience that had never fully watched him before. The MPL PH official page featured him in Wolf Casts content during the run-up to Season 17. Community videos about the SRG-to-MPL-PH transfer window gained traction, with his name appearing in nearly every one.

SRG assistant coach OzoraVeki confirmed post-M7 that the roster could see changes ahead of the new season, noting that while SRG would remain in MPL Malaysia as a franchise, the future of specific players was not guaranteed. That statement opened the door to a return home for Innocent.

No official signing to an MPL PH S17 team has been confirmed as of the time of publication. What is confirmed: Innocent is free agency's most compelling storyline entering the season. A player who left the Philippines with nothing, built a dynasty in Malaysia, and now stands at the threshold of a homecoming.

MPL PH S17 kicks off March 20, 2026. If Innocent is not on a roster when that broadcast goes live, he will be the name every analyst and fan mentions in the first week regardless. That is what his M7 run earned him.

#Career at a Glance

Total prize money earned: over $286,000.

#What to Watch For in S17

If Innocent lands an MPL PH S17 contract, three things will define his impact immediately.

First, draft priority. Any team that signs him gains a gold laner who opponents have to scheme around from game one. That forces opposing coaches to commit bans to the gold lane, which opens space for teammates in other roles.

Second, chemistry timeline. Innocent has spent two years in a system built by Arcadia, playing alongside the same core. Slotting into a new team mid-meta is never automatic. The first three to four weeks of the regular season will tell the real story.

Third, pressure. MPL PH is different from MPL MY. The fanbase is bigger, the scrutiny is louder, and the competition density is higher. He has already handled that pressure at M7. A domestic environment is a different beast. His response to that will define his narrative in Season 17.

Whether or not Innocent makes it onto an MPL PH S17 roster, one thing is settled: he is no longer just an import story from Malaysia. He is a top-five gold laner in Southeast Asia, a four-time champion, and a player who scored a Savage on the world stage against a Philippine team in the most-watched mobile esports match ever played.

The Philippines is paying attention now.

For more player profiles in the MPL PH S17 conversation, check out Who Is Oheb?, Who Is Hadji?, and Who Is Pheww?.