EVER SINCE ECHO Philippines made the bold move of placing Tristan “Yawi” Cabrera on the bench in favor of Jaypee “Jaypee” Dela Cruz back in Season 12, fans started pouring hate comments towards the team, especially on the head of esports Mitch Liwanag.
Yawi has oftentimes been praised for his aggressive playstyle which propelled ECHO to a dominant 4-0 sweep over Blacklist International in the grand finale of the M4 World Championship, and fans questioned why ECHO made the drastic switch. This was further aggravated after ECHO’s elimination at the hands of Blacklist during the S12 playoffs.
And as seasons went by, the criticisms remained and fans dubbed the Orcas turned Cavalry as ‘asawa esports,’ given Jaypee’s familial ties with Mitch.
With so much pressure overwhelming the team, Mitch considered dropping her husband from the team.
“Walang alam yung mga tao dito but I wanted to remove him (Jaypee). I wanted to let him go because we think na baka nato-toxican siya sa fans niya, he cannot perform well,” Mitch Liwanag started in an exclusive with SPIN.ph.
And how sure was she? According to Mitch: “Kasi 100% sure na ako e. Sabi ko, ‘Let him go na. Feeling ko maggo-grow siya sa ibang team at dahil ayokong masira yung mental health niya.”
She elaborated: “Kahit sabihin natin na tahi-tahimik siya, hindi niya sinasabi sa akin na affected siya. He always says na ok siya but for us it doesn’t look ok anymore.”
A second chance
Perhaps the signs are already pointing towards Jaypee’s exit, especially with local and international teams willing to utilize his skills, which was something that Liwanag revealed.
“Naawa ako sa kanya and I wanted to let him go at that time kasi may mga kumukuhang international and PH teams.”
However there was one person who still believed that Jaypee deserved another run with the team, Coach Rodel “Arsy” Cruz.
Coach Arsy who came straight from Myanmar begged Mitch to keep the team’s prized roamer.
“And then si Arsy nakiusap siya. Sabi niya, ‘Madam pakiusap lang. Ipaglalaban namin si Jaypee, pagaganahin namin siya.”
He wasn’t alone defending Daddy Jaypee.
“Sabi ni Arsy and TicTac, ‘Ibigay niyo sa amin yung season na ito madam. Kami na bahala.”
And the rest is history.
An unsung hero
Yet despite their efforts of protecting Jaypee from bashers and critics, the toxicity remains and there’s nothing the Cavalry could do to change their perception.
But that’s not what really matters especially now that Team Liquid has reclaimed the crown. Their victory marks the 4th time that Jaypee has won the MPL trophy.
To the average viewer, Jaypee may be an ordinary roamer who deserves to get booted out of the team, but professionals from the scene would say otherwise.
Just ask Alston “Sanji” Pabico who highlighted that other seasoned vets would praise Jaypee.
“Sa akin kaya siya underrated sa tingin ko dahil sa mga fans na hindi marunong mag-ML. Kasi kapag nakikita niyo yung galaw ni Jaypee tapos yung mga top tier na Pos 5, pinupuri si Jaypee e.”
And to further support his claim, opposing teams would oftentimes try their luck to weaken Daddy Jaypee and based on the final outcome their attempts have been futile.
“Hindi naman siya ire-respect or tatanggalan siya ng heroes kung wala talagang tira si Jaypee,” reiterated Coach Arsy.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
