FOR THE PAST couple of weeks during the regular Season of the MPL PH, I've seen a lot of social media posts debating on who is the best gold laner in the Philippines.
Many names have been brought up from Blacklist's Kiel "Oheb" Soriano, AP.Bren's Marco "Super Marco" Requitiano, ECHO's Frederic Benedict "Bennyqt" Gonzales, and even Minana EVOS' Jan "Domeng" Delmundo.
However one name is oftentimes seen as the center of discussions: Duane "Kelra" Pillas.
For the past couple of seasons, Kelra has been struggling to make a mark in the scene as his playoff results have been lackluster. A disastrous Season 10 defeat, followed by two straight disappointing playoff exits have made critics question his status as one of the elites.
Yet despite these frustrating seasons, Kelra's name is still up for discussions and now with a new beginning with Onic Philippines, questions remain on his overall legacy.
Is Kelra a world class player?
My mentor in football analytics, Pythagoras in Boots, had a criteria for determining players who are worthy of the world class status.
For one to be considered world class, they need to play in an extremely competitive league, plus they need to consistently prove their value in herculean occassions.
Longetivity isn't really important as long as they maximize their peak, meaning if they suffer from an injury ridden career, they need to make the most of their prime years.
Hence players like Ricardo Kaka, Fernando Torres, and Gareth Bale are considered world class despite suffering from injuries that derailed their career as they have produced moments of brilliance when the need arises.
Some players like Eric Cantona, though highly regarded as a legend by the general public, isn't considered world class. According to my mentor, Cantona has struggled to perform in big matches specifically in the UEFA Champions League.
So applying this into the MPL, is Kelra considered world class?
He has performed in big occassions as seen in the MSC 2021 finale against Blacklist International as Kelra's sudden entrances with Kiel VJ "Kielvj" Cruzem have been crucial in breaking the code.
MPL PH Season 9 and MSC 2022 have also seen Kelra produce one of the most heroic performances ever, bringing a heavily doubted Omega Esports squad into title contention.
Not to mention he is already playing in the best league in the world (MPL PH).
There's no doubt, Kelra is already world class, though there's the counter argument that Kelra has never reached the World Stage.
However there are players in football who have already proven their world class status despite not winning the FIFA World Cup (e.g. Cristiano Ronaldo, Mo Salah) let alone being a part of it (e.g. George Best, Ryan Giggs, Erling Haaland).
A mechanical maestro
Other factors to determine one's world class status stem from their individual brilliance and Kelra certainly fits that bill given his Finals MVP award in the 2021 MSC finale and his first team award back in MPL PH Season 9.
Some would argue that this is Kelra's peak as he managed to go all the way to the finals.
However ignoring his accomplishments and digging deep into his individual prowess, there were moments when Kelra truly went bonkers.
We can go back in Season 10, where The Gold Standard proved that he is one of the best mechanical players in the scene, even outclassing his rivals in that department.
Yet this begs an important food for thought. With so much mechanical prowess, why can't he bring his team to the promised land?
There were many factors that hindered Kelra to really shine in the past couple of seasons.
In Season 10, there were reports that he was deployed as the team's shotcaller which was a risky move as this would affect his individual brilliance. I've seen games where Kelra looked distracted, allowing the opposition to pick him off.
Then in the following seasons, things weren't really going well for him. Having two young up-and-coming players namely Deomark "Mikko" Tabangay and Dale "Stowm" Vidor to step up and follow the footsteps of legends like Joshua "Ch4knu" Mangilog and Patrick James "E2MAX" Caidic proved to be a monumental task.
During the playoffs, the two support players were overwhelmed as they couldn't create space for Kelra.
Season 12 was already the final nail in the coffin as Kelra though given the best squad at his disposal, wasn't really given the most optimal coaching staff.
Having Coach Ronel "Stronger" Tan who came straight from another MOBA game was a massive risk especially in a league featuring world class coaches like Francis "Ducky" Glindro, Robert "Trebor" Sanchez, Brian "Panda" Lim, etc.
Is Onic ready for the playoffs?
Now here we are with Kelra joining an Onic PH squad, where the circumstances seem to be ideal for the Gold Standard.
Kelra has once again returned back to his Season 10 masterpiece, but this time around, his rivals like Super Marco have made leaps and bounds to superstardom, while players like Oheb and Bennyqt have reached a different level.
Plus there are players like Domeng and Clarense "Kusey" Camilo hoping to prove their point this season.
Kelra is now blessed with a roster and a coaching staff that seem to match his golden standard yet there are question marks that remain.
Can Jem "Jem" Lanojan and King Cyric "K1NGKONG" Perez step up and become a clutch factor? Can Jomearie "Escalera" Delos Santos revert back to his Season 9 brilliance? Morevover, is Onic's coaching staff ready for the upcoming playoffs?
The clock is ticking for Kelra, who has been doubted by the community for his lack of silverware especially when comparing him to his gold lane rivals who have won a truckload of trophies.
This season could be Kelra's time to silence his critics, and he could be the savior that could finally end the cruel twist of fate that has plagued Onic PH.
But this could also be a heartbreaking moment, as history has proven that teams who have resurfaced with a star-studded ensemble need time to gel as seen with Bren back in Season 5 and ECHO back in Season 9.
All eyes will surely be on him.
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