"YESTERDAY WE were at the acceptance stage. We were planning to go home at July 8."
That was exactly Michael "MP The King" Endino's sentiments upon hearing the news that See You Soon will enter the final day of the MSC 2024 group stages without their coaching staff.
A day before their climactic group stage campaign, MOONTON Games punished Cambodia's See You Soon after completing their investigation on the alleged bug that took place in the battle between SYS vs. Selangor Red Giants.
The results revealed that there was no bug that occurred as the team had a miscommunication with their hero picks.
And to further add to the demise, SYS was forced to forfeit their match vs. SRG, giving them a 0-2 hole.
Overcoming that deficit wasn't an easy task especially since SYS had to win over the reigning MSC champions, Fnatic Onic.
Many expected Onic to dominate their foes with the audience prediction reaching a landslide amount in favor of the Sonics.
But to the shock of everyone, See You Soon commanded the series, sweeping Onic. MP The King produced one of his best performances, even outplaying Kairi "Kairi" Rayosdelsol, dubbed as one of the best junglers in the scene.
During the interview with Mara Aquino, The King himself explained what drove them to win that series.
"Para sa akin po, gusto naming patunayan sa mga tao na nagsasabi na 'remake esports' kami na kahit walang coach, na kahit maraming problema, kayang-kaya naming gapangan yung bracket namin," said the SYS jungler.
How SYS overcame the odds?
Without a tactician in their ranks, SYS needed to rally themselves and prepare a thorough gameplan against the defending MPL ID champs and the MENA reps.
Their coaches, Chhim "CatGod" Vitou and Sam "PARAGON" Sophanny already formulated their strategies before the start of the match.
"Because of what happened on the previous day, we banded together on what to do. Our coach mentioned what to pick, what to ban, and what to expect from them," revealed MP The King.
"So all of the things that happened between us and Onic are somehow predicted."
During the drafting phase, it was MP who decided on which heroes to pick and ban, showcasing his tactical prowess evident since his Nexplay days.
But he wasn't alone as he had his team to help him shotcall the entire match, highlighting the deeper bond that this team possesses.
"Another thing is our hunger to win because of the issue. We want to prove to the people that regardless of the issue, they took our coach away from us due to suspension. We just want to prove to the world that we can still do our best," reflected Endino.
Dealing with personal issues
However this wasn't the only hurdle that the team encountered in their journey. Before the MSC 2024 campaign, MP The King struggled with internal demons that plagued his progress.
"It's because of my personal problems," MP The King started. "I really didn't want to practice. At that moment, I was just enjoying because when I was in Cambodia, there was so much pressure. I was just enjoying my stay and my life to the point that I didn't practice for a month.
So much weight was on his shoulders, and he was blessed that the coaching staff gave him permission to take some time off.
"I told my coach that I needed time to reset because of what is happening to me right now and gladly they accepted it and they gave me a chance."
Normally, taking a prolonged leave could be detrimental as players could feel rusty upon returning. This ultimately served as motivation to MP The King who didn't want to let his team down and he also wanted to show that he still belongs in one of the biggest stages in MLBB.
"That chance I'm glad that it didn't go to waste because somehow we proved that even though we didn't practice that much, we could still do our best."
MP added: "So that's what drives me to do my best, to prove to my coaches, to Paragon, his wife, and to other people who believed in us that despite no practice, I can still do my best in the international stage."
Watch out! See You Soon is coming
Now with so much momentum running into the veins of See You Soon, the entire team's morale has increased. In one of the most surprising turns in MSC 2024, Fnatic Onic was eliminated, an upset that has opened the floodgates for the Cambodian squad.
No longer are they on the edge of the cliff as the team is now full of high spirits.
Just ask Sovann "Raa" Chanmakara.
"Any other country shouldn't look down on us. We can be underdogs so we will 'See You Soon' if you look down on us," said SYS' mid laner.
Only two matches remain where SYS wouldn't have a coaching staff in their ranks, but with MP The King on their side, nothing seems to faze the up-and-coming MSC hopefuls.
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