Bennyqt’s return to the MPL stage came with the ultimate twist—a dramatic duel against Team Liquid Philippines, who once stood by his side but are now his foes in the Land of Dawn.
“Bago po itong game, I'm super excited. Tapos ngayon parang masaya kasi nakapagperform ulit sa stage kasi iba pa rin talaga sa stage compared sa mga RG-RG (ranked games) lang,” Bennyqt said, finding the joy in coming back to the competitive scene.
Even with little time to settle in, Bennyqt found his rhythm effortlessly as he reunited with his former Echo-teammates Tristan “Yawi” Cabrera and Justine “Zaida” Palma.
“Yung adjustment, ok naman. Since dito naging kakampi ko na sina Zaida at Yawi, naging madali na rin since sila yung nasa mid. After nung nag-practice kami nung first day, dun pa ako sobrang nangangapa, pero nung second day nakuha ko rin,” Bennyqt explained in an exclusive interview with SPIN.ph, fitting right in with TNC Pro Team in less than a week.
TNC Pro Team suffered their third straight defeat against Team Liquid Philippines, but for Bennyqt, it's an opportunity to push harder and prove they can bounce back stronger.
“Happy po sa performance pero hindi pa rin satisfied eh. As a team, nakita talaga namin yung mga kailangan pang ayusin. So excited kami din bumalik sa practice para ma-work out yun and happy kami na nakadikit kami ng ganun sa top 1 seed,” Bennyqt reflected after forcing a game three in their hard-fought match against Team Liquid PH.
The double-edged sword of familiarity
Facing your old teammates means walking a fine line on both ends—you can anticipate their moves, but they can just as easily predict yours.
“Parang hindi na po kami nahirapan sa draft po kasi kilala na po namin sila eh. Sa pickings at sa galawan. Kaya siguro maganda rin po yung laro namin ngayon sa kanila,” Yawi said.
“Double-edged sword siya kasi kung alam ko paano sila [gumalaw], alam din naman nila kung paano kami [gumalaw], lalo na si Yawi and Zaida na kasama ko. Alam nila paano kami lumaro,” Bennyqt pointed out.
“Naging maganda po yung laban kasi parang yung mga gagawin namin alam nila. Parang bini-bait kami na alam nila gagawin sa pickoff,” Team Liquid’s roamer Jaypee “Jaypee” Dela Cruz said.
Both squads may set the battlefield ablaze with fierce competitiveness, but Team Liquid PH has nothing deep respect for their former teammates and acknowledged their skills in the head-to-head star matchup.
“Excited lang ako kasi galing sila sa amin eh, so malakas talaga sila,” Alston “Sanji” Pabico expressed.
“Expected ko na po talaga na parang magiging close fight talaga kasi alam talaga namin yung capabilities nila as [players],” Karl “KarlTzy” Nepomuceno commented.
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