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    What it takes to become a caster in the MPL-PH

    New caster search winner OSX describes his incredible journey
    Aug 18, 2021
    PHOTO: MPL-PH

    ON THE second night of the MPL Caster Search bootcamp, Francis Joses “OSX” Cantero heard a very useful piece of advice: “We all have strong tables here in MPL.”

    Strong tables were exactly what he needed.

    If esports shoutcasters and analysts are armed with rapid-fire patter and a deep knowledge of the game, Cantero combined that with an outsize physicality that threatened to burst out of a livestream. He stood up as he shoutcasted. He pointed emphatically at screens. He also had a habit of slamming his hand down on tables to emphasize a point.

    OSX at the MPL-PH Next Caster Search

    But even if his manic gestures matched his barreling trains of thought, the veteran casters inside the bootcamp knew that they still hadn’t seen the final form of this promising young rookie.

    On the third and final day of the bootcamp, in an actual MPL simulation game where all the candidates rotated through different roles — caster, analyst, panel host — to find out who would be worthy to be the league’s next caster, these vets took Cantero aside.

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      “What’s holding you back, man?” asked Dan “Leo” Cubangay.

      Mark “Butters” Jison reminded him, “You don't need this kind of nervousness in this job. It's not all about us. It's all about delivering a good broadcast to everyone who loves this game.”

      Rob Luna simply told him: “OSX, blow up.”

      At that moment, Cantero recalled what he had said in the audition tape he had submitted to the league: “I want to be the voice for action for everybody, including the community. I want them to feel the game in every word that I say.”

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      When he returned to the stage for his final challenge, he was no longer Francis Joses Cantero. He became OSX.

      From community casts to a tryout in the big league

      Every intense match in the Mobile Legends Professional League-Philippines is anchored by a team of casters whose names — Wolf, Midnight, Manjean, Rockhart, Mara Aquino, and many others — have become as familiar to viewers as the pro players themselves. They are an integral part of the pro ML experience — a fact that the league recognizes. When it released limited edition sports cards for the MPL-PH’s Season 7, the casters got their own set.

      For Season 8, which is already seeing its own raft of top-to-bottom changes, the league wanted to bring in a fresh face into the panel.

      And so the MPL Caster Search was born.

      OSX was one of the nine finalists chosen to enter the very tough bootcamp. The 27-year-old Ilonggo had only begun his shoutcasting career back in 2018. “Ito yung mga panahon na, uy, may gagawin ka mamaya? Doon tayo sa computer shop. Tambay tayo,” he recalled in an interview with SPIN Life. It was inside an internet cafe that a friend randomly asked him to start casting for a 5v5 PC arena battler.

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      New MPL-PH caster OSX

      From then on, OSX made a name for himself in the community esports scene around Bacolod City. Even after he took on a day job as a creative director in Manila, he set up his own streaming page, and volunteered to cast Mobile Legends and Call of Duty Mobile tournaments — which he continued even when the COVID-19 lockdowns forced him to return to his hometown.

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      It was during the pandemic that OSX also signed up for esports development program The Madrigal Project (TMP), which offered training from different casters from Mobile Legends, as well as other leagues. The program’s head, MPL-PH caster Leo, became an early mentor.

      “Nung pumasok ako sa TMP, doon talaga nagsimula on being honed with different modules,” said OSX. “Doon ko po napalawak ang experience ko being a self-taught caster.”

      And so when the MPL-PH announced its Next Caster Search, OSX felt confident enough to submit an application into the open auditions. He passed two videos: a clip of himself, casting a short snippet of an MPL match, in both English and Tagalog; and then an introduction video.

      “I was intimidated at first. I considered MPL as one of the premiere leagues in the Philippines,” he remembered. “Pero ayokong magsisi na hindi ako nag-send. Di bale matalo, at least nag-send.”

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        Flight and fight

        It was Saturday night when OSX got the Discord call that he’d been accepted into the final nine (eight of them whittled down from the top 32, plus a wild card). Tears streamed down his cheeks when he heard the news. He’d done it.

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        But the tears froze in his eyeballs and his heart plummeted to his stomach when he realized that he needed to fly to Manila by the next day if he wanted to make it to the league’s media day on Monday. “I hadn’t booked my ticket, and [the MPL-PH] didn’t know where I was based,” OSX recalled.

        As anyone who’s tried traveling in a pandemic knows, booking last minute flights in the middle of a global plague can be a tricky business. Hopping onto the internet, OSX saw that the next available flight was still on Tuesday.

        Then, a minor miracle. “Luckily, may lumabas na overpriced last flight from Bacolod. Sunday, 10 a.m.” he said. That was a mere 12 hours away. “That was my last chance. Kung di ko kukunin yun, I’m done.”

        With no sleep and barely any luggage, he made it to Manila.

        The next weekend — now packing a brand-new blue suit he’d bought in Manila — OSX and the rest of the would-be casters entered the three-day bootcamp. Seasoned host and courtside reporter Mara Aquino greeted them sternly. “Parang Survivor Philippines,” quipped OSX. “Kinabahan kami. Na-realize lang namin nung Day 3 na, ooooh, it was for the video.”

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        OSX at the Next Caster Search bootcamp

        Inside was a nonstop whirl of modules. The history of MPL. Intro to broadcasting. The basics of posture. Makeup. Fashion. Simulations. Theory. Workshops. Quizzes. Even diaphragm exercises.

        “Basically, for MPL, regionally, and not just in the Philippines, we actually do caster workshops,” explained Kelly Chiew, a senior public relations manager for Moonton. “The reason why we have these caster workshops in the first place is because we want to raise the level and talent of the caster pool for all MPLs, and provide recommendations, based on our experience, on how to perform better as well.”

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        Part of the MPL experience is the so-called tri-cast setup, where three casters sit side-by-side in a match, each following a certain role.

        “There is normally an analyst, there will be one person saying play-by-play, and there will be another person providing color, or [serving] as the host, trying to come up with rich storylines,” Chiew continued. It is the job of the workshop to sharpen up these casters so they’re flexible enough for any role, without overpowering the other members of the trio.

        All that, of course, while maintaining the professionalism expected of an top-level esports broadcast.

        What OSX will bring to the table

        It was in these tri-cast simulations — the final challenges in the three-day bootcamp — that OSX faced his toughest hurdles. But with the prodding of his mentors within the veteran crew, he emerged as the MPL-PH’s next caster.

        “He has such a great work ethic,” said Dan “Leo” Cubangay to SPIN Life. “The dude is just so game to learn and listen, always asking questions, trying to be the best he can be.”

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        At the MPL-PH Caster Search bootcamp

        Fellow caster Neil "Midnight" De Guzman commends OSX for his great personality — "something he needs to flesh out a bit more but could be widely accepted by the ML community."

        In Midnight's opinion, OSX's resilience will make him a "reliable talent" in the league's caster rotation. "I would love to have OSX represent the color commentators, as he is a good mix of an anchor and an analyst," he added.

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        Mara Aquino, who had intimidated OSX at first with her Survivor Philippines-style opening pitch, is definitely looking forward to seeing what the newest member of the crew will bring to the table.

        "OSX knows HOW to think," she told us in a text message. "[His] previous job as a creative director will definitely add value to the broadcast of the MPL. Not only can he perform as a talent, he can also contribute in the production side."

        Leo, who mentored him in The Madrigal Project, is proud of OSX taking that thudding leap into the spotlight (fingers, as always, pointed to the screen). “His nerves get to him sometimes, but his energy is undeniable,” the caster continued. “Once he gets in the zone, he is nigh unstoppable.”

        Leo added: “Seeing his growth into MPL is definitely a proud and defining moment.”

        While his debut has been delayed, no thanks to new COVID-19 restrictions that have forced an undefined postponement of the league, OSX clearly can’t wait to get cracking. Which storylines is he excited to cook up a crackling new batch of patter for?

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        “Since the MPL-PH is now a franchise league, there are teams who maintained their name, some teams who needed to rebrand. One of the teams I'm excited about is RSG,” said OSX. “They have players coming from different teams, like Nexplay, Onic...

        “And Wrecker is there!” he added. Streamers like Elyson “Wrecker” Caranza, Setsuna “Dogie” Ignacio, and Raven “L3bron” Alonzo will add a new flavor to the league. “You don't often get to see streamers play. How will they make the chemistry work?”

        But if he were to put his money on a championship team, OSX goes for the seasoned champs.

        “Coming in hot, still? Number one for me is — since Execration is gone — Smart Omega. They still maintained the five, the kings of SEA. Second choice? I’m going to go with Blacklist.”

        Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph

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        PHOTO: MPL-PH
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