KAIRI "KAIRI" Rayosdelsol has been receiving a lot of hate and criticism from the community as he became the scapegoat to Onic Esports' loss in the M5 World Championship finale.
Due to the negativity he received, the MPL community defended Kairi from his bashers.
Personally, I find the toxic levels of bashing harsh especially after rewatching the entire M5 World Championship finale.
Kairi underperformed, because AP.Bren marshalled him to perfection. In fact this was highlighted by Coach Francis "Ducky" Glindro in the post-match press conference.
"The main focus of what we adjusted from the other matches we had with Onic, the upper bracket finals, was it mainly boils down to having Kairi play out of his comfort zone. I think that's pretty much it."
"Then as we progressed to the Bo7, we discovered that there are certain heroes that they're prioritizing. So we managed to adjust on the fly," revealed the recently crowned M5 champion coach.
So how did Bren execute their gameplan? Let's further dissect.
Negating the buffs
From the opening minute, it was evident that Bren was constantly invading Kairi's jungle and when it came to securing the buffs, it was Kyle "KyleTzy" Sayson who ended up snatching all of Kairi's benefits.
Game 3 even saw Kyle becoming two levels ahead of his jungling counterpart, an alarming sign for Onic's demise.
So what made Kyle standout? A key component from Bren's gameplan stem from the list of heroes in their arsenal.
Game 1 saw Bren use heroes which could aggressively poke Kairi's Dyrroth, namely Thamuz, Novaria, and Mathilda.
David Charles "FlapTzy" Canon's Thamuz would oftentimes be seen joining the likes of Kyle "KyleTzy" Sayson's Fredrinn and Rowgien "Owgwen" Unigo's Mathilda to invade Kairi's jungle. The latter offers mobility, which was lacking in Onic Esports' lineup.
KyleTzy's Fredrinn would be used to force teamfights while Flap's Thamuz is a brute force weapon who can slow down Onic's least-mobile lineup.
And if they need to scout around the map, Angelo Kyle "Pheww" Arcangel's Novaria would provide vision, giving the Bees a headstart in most clashes.
Further dissecting Bren's heropool
But the pressure kept on going and this was further amplified in Game 2, now that the Tzy duo of Kyle and Flap would diversify their approach with Martis and Paquito respectively.
They may not be as tanky as their Game 1 counterparts, but they offer two important attributes, speed and crowd control.
Flap's Paquito was destructive force in shutting down Blacklist International's sustain lineup and he likewise did the same by slowing down Calvin "CW" Winata's advances.
Meanwhile, Kyle's Martis was used to weaken any jungle control from Onic. He even gained more confidence to pressure Kairi especially when he acquired his early radiant and blade armor.
This new approach, could've given Bren the Game 2 win but Nicky "Kiboy" Pontonuwu had other ideas especially with his sudden 'I'm Offended' setup.
Then there's Kairi's Joy, which was a pest to Bren due to its mobility and survivability, forcing the Bees to ban the hero in the series.
Shutting down the complimentary pieces
Kiboy's miraculous play in Game 2 is a sign that Onic doesn't solely rely on Kairi's heroics and Bren made adjustments to make sure that the other members of the Porcupines would be slowed down as well.
Take for instance Game 3, where Bren selected Owgwen's Arlott who was responsible in marking Kiboy's Chou. The latter couldn't land a blow on Marco "Super Marco" Requitiano.
But besides Kiboy, Gilang "Sanz" has been a threat especially since he has been one of the standout performers in M5. His Faramis in Game 3 was countered by Pheww's Gord.
With the Gord in Bren's lineup, Onic couldn't find an opportunity to counter engage. It likewise didn't help that FlapTzy's signature Lapu-Lapu would slam the backlines, limiting the Porcupines.
Then in Game 4 Onic decided to make a switch on Kairi's heropool, hence their decision to select his signature Hayabusa.
His mobility allowed him to use hit-and-run tactics, but the limited health would make him a glass cannon especially when dealing with KyleTzy's Akai who could shut him down.
Kiboy could be the game changer with his Kaja, but once again he was guarded by Owgwen's Edith and Flap's Thamuz, who was blessed with the Vengeance battle spell, allowing him to absorb more damage.
And speaking about damage absorption, that's what Pheww offers with his Angela, and Onic couldn't burst down any threat in Bren's lineup.
How Onic adjusted?
Based on the outcome of the matches, Onic made key adjustments that allowed them to bounce back.
Tank junglers on Kairi would only limit his mobility, while assassins would ultimately make him vulnerable.
To make him effective, Coach Paul Denver "Yeb" Miranda decided to give Kairi heroes who offer tankiness, mobility, and crowd control.
Baxia became the go to option for Onic in Game 5, while he was given a crowd control specialist in Guinevere in Game 6.
But the adjustments weren't just limited there as Coach Yeb also adjusted Muhammad "Butsss" Sanubari's heroes as well, with him deploying EXP laners with more backline aggression (e.g. Paquito and Phoveus).
The end result saw Onic have more control of the game as they have finally matched AP.Bren's aggression.
They also capitalized on some of the advantages they held. In Game 5. FlapTzy used Arlott which isn't a tanky hero, hence why he was easily bursted down in key teamfights.
The Baxia pick from Kairi would also negate some of the tankiness from KyleTzy's tank junglers and Owgwen's roam heroes due to its passive, which makes Bren vulnerable to Butsss' sudden entrances or Sanz' Novaria snipes.
Game 6 saw Bren suffer as their aggression was contained by Kairi's Guinevere that synergizes with the survivability from Sanz' Faramis.
Combined that with Butsss' Phoveus charging towards Super Marco and Bren had no room to engage.
Bren's Game 7 shift
And so came the final game to decide on the fate of these two world class teams, and given the adjustments from Onic, Bren decided to shift their antics as they forego their aggressive jungle invade strat.
To further convince Bren not to go all out, are Onic's hero picks namely Sanz' Yve and Kiboy's Kadita, who could dish out damage and slow down foes.
However there's one major flaw from Onic's lineup, the lack of survivability, making them susceptible to Flap's Khaleed pick. This would mean that Kairi and Butsss will have to be the frontliners for the team, but it wouldn't be an easy task especially with Pheww's Faramis pulling them in the wrong direction, that synergizes with a chain stun combo from KyleTzy's Fredrinn and Owgwen's Edith.
Ultimately, there was nothing Onic could do as Bren simply commanded the final game.
Is Onic really 'Kairi-Esports?'
Now given the outcome of the series, comes a question which fans have debated: Is it right to brand Onic as 'Kairi-Esports' since Bren was constantly keeping an eye on him?
Is he really the win condition for Onic? Based on the impact from Butsss, Kiboy, and Sanz which was highlighted earlier, the Porcupines likewise relied on the other key contributors as well.
And based on the finals match, Bren thoroughly read Onic like a book as they discovered that the team is dependent on momentum and finding an answer on each member would completely nerf them.
As for the bashers of Kairi, these fans need to know that Kairi is only one piece of the puzzle and that other factors need to be considered as well, which was explained earlier.
Plus every player isn't perfect as even the best ones also have their down moments.
And to make that happen, Coaches Ducky and Vrendon Lin made crucial moves to ensure the Bees #TaonNgTagumpay.
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