There’s a saying that goes, “History repeats itself." At present, that old saw very much applies to TNC.
TNC has always been on the lookout for up-and-coming talent ever since they first came to the MPL in Season 8, but every time their team moves past the enigma stage, the pieces start to crumble down.
Remember that time when Work Auster Force became TNC? Now, it seems MPL fans are suffering another case of deja vu as the former ArkAngel team is struggling to find its footing after an impressive Season 9 outing.
Their current record in Season 10 says it all: 0-4.
So why is this iteration of the Phoenix not living up to their Season 9 standards? Here are some possible factors.

The same story for TNC
I could list a lot of changes that each team experienced in Season 10.
For Blacklist International, V33Wise is back, while Onic PH has been overhauled with the arrival of the Monster Anarchy amateur team.
Then for a team like Omega Esports, both Jomie “Pakbet” Abalos and Patrick James “E2MAX” Caidic revealed that the team is stepping on the gas from the get-go. Plus, with the arrival of Mico “Mikko” Tabangay and the return of Kiel VJ “Kielvj” Hernandez, the team has more options besides their usual main five.
I could say the same with the other teams. Coach Paolo “Pao” Villanueva and the arrival of Mico “Micophobia” Quitlong in Nexplay EVOS saw a sudden shift in gameplan, while ECHO PH's Coach Archie “Tictac” Reyes brought a different layer to Karl “KarlTzy” Nepomuceno’s playstyle.
And as much as Bren’s fans would constantly ridicule their team in every loss, I would have to argue that the team has drastically improved from their Season 9 performances. They didn’t look like the team that struggled to find their identity, experiencing a rejuvenated game thanks to the back-and-forth outplays from Jomari “Jowm” Pingol and Kyle “KyleTzy” Sayson.
TNC, though? Not much can be said. Sure, they did implement some new changes like Mark “Kramm” Rustana deviating from his signature Esmeralda pick, or seeing Jomie “Escalera” Delos Santos pick Julian, but overall they’re still obsessed with the same gameplan of protecting their gold lane.
As tactics go, it's fundamentally sound. However, RSG PH's coach Brian “Panda” Lim said it best as he spoke with the press during Season 10's second week:
“The strategy that they’re using, there is not much difference compared to Season 9, the heroes, the rotations. I’m not saying this is bad but just like how we’re trying to do, using different players and trying to use different heroes, it’s always good to adapt to different things.
“Like when I saw that TNC was camping on the gold lane in Game 1 with Lolita, Pharsa, tapos minsan Hayabusa is not contesting the turtle and staying at the gold lane, I told the players, ‘TNC can just be playing just like in Season 9, they must be camping sa gold lane and give the turtle.'”
TNC and RSG are teams who are both focused on discipline. However, I believe the MPL-PH champions have the edge as they have more options with Kenneth Jiane “Kenji” Villa’s utility style EXP lane and the countless other reserves they have.
On the other hand, TNC doesn’t have any alternatives in their roster except for Salman “KingSalman” Macarambon.

Ben Trips
With unchanged tactics, teams could easily read the movements of the Phoenix.
Last season, Ben Seloe “Benthings” Maglaque was the main attraction as his setups have always been highlight reel material.
In fact, he became a living meme as casters and fans would use his IGN to generate random nicknames: BenTrips, BenTricks, Ben10, Ben-Harden, Benthings Impact, and so on.
But now, it seems the fun days of BenMemes are slowly fizzling out.
Benthings tries to protect his teammates with Lolita’s Bulwark? RSG’s Dylan “Light” Catipon could use his Franco hooks to bait, allowing his teammates (most notably Kenji’s Ruby) to engage. Heck, Kenji can also cancel the Noumenon Blast with his abilities.
Ben tries to go for his signature Lolita Eurostep or flicker play? Not a problem, as you can assess his movements with the help of Diggie bombs.
Franco time? Omega and Bren Esports can just swarm him with crowd control options left and right and poof, Benthings becomes a non factor.
Plus, you can always outwit him through proper positioning, which a lot of teams have mastered, even during the Season 9 playoffs where both RSG and Omega trampled his setups.
Has the patch changes affected the Phoenix?
Another thing to note was pointed out by Coach Kristoffer “BON CHAN” Ricaplaza in his latest vlog. The Blacklist coach discussed at length how MOONTON made drastic changes in order to weaken jungle invaders.
To recap, here are the patch notes.
Patch 1.6.86
New Effect: When out of the leash range for the first time, the creep gains 50% extra Movement Speed, until it moves back to the range.
New Effect: After moving back to the range, the creep will stop recovering HP and re-enter the battle state upon taking damage. This will be only for the first time. The above effects are only valid for the Orange and Purple buffs.
MOONTON also lessened the spawn timers of the Orange and Purple Buffs from 25 to 20 in 1.6.90.
Overall, these changes have affected TNC’s gameplan. If you look back in Season 9, TNC (and even other teams) would aggressively harass the jungle to weaken the opposition, allowing Shemaiah “SDzyz” Chu to gain all the space and momentum he needed with his Demon Slayer emblem.
This season, however, is different, as TNC couldn’t replicate their jungle invasion strategy. Even if they manage to do so, the opposition could still bounce back due to the patch changes.
What's next for TNC?
To quote from one of my favorite sports films: "Adapt or die!"
TNC desperately needs to find a solution. By looking at how they performed in Season 10, Phoenix seems to be overhwhelmed with how teams have dissected them. Just look at how Duane "Kelra" Pillas outmanuevered them in their latest encounter.
Some fans might argue that bringing back Coach Vrendon "Vrendini" Lin could be the solution, especially with his creative Songbird combo (Diggie + Odette).
But it might not yield a different result, especially if the team still sticks to their tried-and-tested formula.
Will we see the rebirth of the Phoenix after an abysmal two weeks? Let's stay tuned.
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