JAYPEE IN, YAWI OUT
When I first saw the ECHO PH lineup back in Season 12, I was left in disbelief. Why would you bench a player who has propelled your team to glory?
At first, I thought ECHO was doing it to add more spice to their lineup. They had Tristan “Yawi” Cabrera, who offered more explosion, while Jaypee “Jaypee” Dela Cruz added more stability to the game.
Inside the press room, we’d often get the most cliché answers, with members of the team saying that Yawi would have his time, and so on.
However, upon digging deeper into their games, I slowly began to realize that Yawi’s playstyle could be both a blessing and a curse.
Looking back at MSC 2023, it seemed teams had already dissected and studied ECHO PH’s high-octane offense centered on Yawi. Onic ID’s 3-0 dismantling of ECHO was already an alarming sign, and this was further aggravated when Burn X Flash nearly secured a third-place finish over the M4 champions.
Then came Season 12, where I saw Yawi suddenly being inserted into ECHO’s playoff bout against Blacklist International. While it seemed he was the sparkplug for the Orcas, the Codebreakers simply dissected them in the following matches.
I remember receiving comments from people saying that Yawi should have been given more playing time in the regular season because that would allow him to further enhance his mechanical skills, which could be useful against Blacklist.
I on the other hand would beg to disagree, as Yawi looked as sharp as a sword despite not having a lot of playing time. Also, Blacklist deserves to be credited, as Renejay “Renejay” Barcarse’s arrival elevated and evolved their playstyle.
Suddenly, the dominoes started to fall. Hate comments began to flood ECHO PH, especially toward Mitch Liwanag and Jaypee.
Neither of these individuals deserved the hate and flak on social media, as the decision to bench Yawi wasn’t done primarily because of nepotism, but because there was some logic to their decision.
And all of the negativity would go on and on, as if a black hole had risen above the Orcas.
Fans may have forgotten that Jaypee had been an important piece for ECHO, which was evident when Yawi couldn't play in some games in the M4 World Championship.
Plus, Jaypee had already proven his worth as a top-quality player who propelled Sunsparks to glory.
It was the perfect way for Jaypee to secure his retribution.
A testament to resilience
Given the psychological hell he had been through, I wouldn’t have been surprised if Jaypee had suddenly hung up his boots and called it a career.
Besides, peace would ultimately reign supreme now that Mitch had made the call to salvage her husband’s sanity, and there were a plethora of talented roamers in the PH who could land a spot for the Cavalry, such as Joshua “Ch4knu” Mangilog, Salic “Hadji” Imam, and John “Perkz” Sumawan (though he eventually joined TLPH).
In addition, it can be argued that Jaypee is a relic of the past, since his prime Sunsparks days have long been gone. This was no longer the Jaypee who would stun opponents with Gusions and other assassin or marksman-based heroes.
The signs had already pointed to this outcome, especially with Team Liquid getting ousted on the opening day of the Season 14 playoffs, where Jaypee had a huge target on his back from the community.
But something else happened…
No man is an Island
I will never forget the time when Coach Rodel “Ar Sy” Cruz entered the press room back in the M6 World Championship, and his stories on the MLBB esports scene in Myanmar left me in tears.
He was profoundly touched by the struggles that professional esports players endured, something that would benefit a team that was constantly being bombarded by the community.
Understanding the hell that Jaypee had been through, Coach Ar Sy showed a strong sense of compassion that would forever change the scene.
But Ar Sy saw something in Jaypee that was worth fighting for. He wasn’t alone, as other members from the team had fully supported the Team Liquid roamer.
The entire weight of the world was against Jaypee, and yet there were people around him who had his back. Normally, the pressure could be overwhelming, and I wouldn’t have been surprised if Team Liquid had ultimately made the decision to drop Jaypee.
The tensions were already high, and the outcome seemed bound to happen, but for Jaypee to stay with the team speaks volumes about his character.
Getting the full trust of your own teammates is a feat that’s very difficult to accomplish, especially when the entire world seems to be against you.
For the likes of Karl “KarlTzy” Nepomuceno, Sanford “Sanford” Vinuya, and Alston “Sanji” Pabico to side with Jaypee despite the years of frustrations means that Jaypee is a great teammate to have, and someone who you can fully rely on when the need arises.
And this was evident in how all of them responded to the critics and bashers who would constantly discredit the 4x MPL PH champion.
In the end, Jaypee delivered one of the best redemption stories in MLBB history, all thanks to his character and attitude that would echo across his team.
And together with his teammates, they rose from the ashes. No matter what is thrown at them, it is their unbreakable unity that ultimately makes them legendary.
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