PLAYERS COME and soon their prime will eventually fade out, and that was the reality that former MPL pro player Adrian "Toshi" Bacallo experienced.
At one point in his career, Toshi was one of those rising stars, who managed to be a key figure in Smart Omega's journey en route to the M2 World Championship.
But now it seems he is one of those forgotten MPL players as Toshi eventually faded out.
Looking back at his MPL career, Toshi was full of regrets.
"Sa ML parang sinayang ko ‘yung meron ako no’n tapos ngayon."
At one point, he considered letting go of his esports journey and pursued his education, studying criminology in Tarlac. But as the door closes, a new one opens as Toshi found a new beginning by entering the Honor of Kings.
"Oo na-try ko na ‘yung parang hindi ko na kayang maging esports athlete, parang lock na ako. Nagaaral na ako no’n eh then may hulog ng langit na sabi ng manager namin dati if gusto kong i-try ‘yung larong ‘to. Binigay sa akin ‘yung roadmap ng HoK."
For him, this was his time to redeem himself.
"Sumugal ako, why not give it another shot. Kasi may mga regrets ako sa dati kong laro."
"Sinasabi ko ‘yung regrets parang learning exprerience lang sa akin para mag-grow. Tinulungan ako ng regrets kung nasaan ako ngayon. Kung wala ‘yun, wala ako dito sa harapan niyo," he reflected.
"For good na ako sa HoK kasi parang redemption arc ko na ’to sa HoK...Dati parang hindi ako all in sa career ko, parang pinabayaan ko. Ngayon mas all in ako. Ibang Toshi na."
Toshi once again competes in the world stage
Eventually Toshi's transition into HOK would lead to him joining Indonesia's Dominator Esports, where he won the local qualifiers. Now he is once again competing in the world stage, albeit a different game.
His experience however is something new to him, as for the first time in his career, Toshi is playing with foreign players. Many pro players who take their talents abroad could be a daunting experience given the usual problems centered on language and culture.
So how are things on Toshi's end?
"Hindi [ako nag-aral ng Bahasa], English naman ‘yung communication namin kahit basic english lang. ‘Yung bonding at chemistry talaga namin ‘yung hindi nawawala. Parang lahat kami sync, team player lahat, walang attitude, walang problema, kaya nanalo kami."
"Kahit two months pa lang kaming magkakasama, nag-top 10 pa rin kami," he reiterated.
And when talking about his experience playing abroad, Toshi looked at things from a different perspective.
"First time ko sa Indonesia and playing overseas. Goods naman siya. I met a lot of people, nakakasundo ko naman ‘yung ugali nila. Hindi naman siya mahirap mag-adjust. It’s all about the mindset lang," revealed Toshi.
However, there are things from home that he truly misses.
"Na-miss ko ‘yung Pilipinas lalo na walang Jollibee dito. Wala ring gravy. Miss ko na rin ‘yung family ko syempre first time kong nag-import dito, homesick talaga ako."
Hadji applauds Toshi on new journey
With Toshi emerging in HOK and with him overcoming the hardships of playing abroad, his former MPL teammates supported him. Despite being gone for a long time, they believe Toshi has what it takes to succeed.
"Yung mga feedback ng tropa ko sa ML, masaya sila sa narating ko kasi kaya ko pa pala mag-pro sa laro na ‘to. Naniniwala pa rin sila na kaya ko, na kaya ko pa maglaro," he started.
Seeing them patting his back and encouraging him to carry on served as motivation for the former Omega standout. Among those who pushed him forward was Blacklist International's Salic "Hadji" Imam. Both Toshi and Hadji were once part of the Omega squad that reached the M2 world stage.
"Yung passion ko bumalik, ‘yung grind ko, and ayun nga, nag-all in lang talaga ako sa laro na ‘to. ‘Yung mga friends ko very supportive naman sila sa decision na magpatuloy sa HoK and lalo na ‘yung mga former teammates ko na sila Hadji. Sabi sa akin ni Hadji na proud siya sa akin kasi nandito na ako ngayon and nakikita niya akong naglalaro."
And Toshi is hoping he could make them proud by winning the World Championships in Indonesia.
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.
