SELANGOR RED Giants stomped their way to the M6 World Championship, making waves globally after bagging the Mid-Season Cup (MSC) and back-to-back MPL Malaysia titles this year alone.
One title remains for the Red Giants to finally make the Golden Road dream come true. But what does it take to stay alive as the last hope of Malaysia?
The lower bracket is a survival of the fittest, and SRG is determined to prove they won’t let their Golden Road dream slip away any time soon.
Tough moments reveal true character, and head coach Michael "Arcadia" Bocado underscored how the tough situations they've encountered in the past transformed the Red Giants into the global contenders that we are witnessing today.
“Siguro, when it comes to the character, ayoko ibigay yung credit sa sarili ko. Gusto ko ibigay yung credit sa team ko kasi itong team na ito, para sa akin, sila yung pinakamalakas yung mental fortitude,” (When it comes to character, I don't like to take all of the credit, it belongs to the team. Their mental fortitude is undeterred) coach Arcadia said, giving credit to the players’ grip under pressure.
“Kasi napunta na kami sa sobrang hirap na mga situations na nasa lower bracket kami and maraming nagdadoubt sa amin, like tested na talaga sila mentally,” (Because we've been through the worse scenarios in the lower bracket and we conquered the doubters) he added.
The Red Giants were now faced with a choice: succumb to the pressure or rise above it. They chose the latter.
Rising above the pressure
“I think nararamdaman ko nga ngayon parang mas malakas yung team pag mas malalim yung pressure kasi yung mga upper bracket kami, natatalo, dun sa early Swiss stages namin hindi ganun kaganda yung laro namin, but every time na nandun na kami, our back is against the wall, dun lumalabas talaga yung laro nila. I think props to them sila yung malakas talaga yung mental fortitude,” coach Arcadia expressed.
(I can sense that teams are stronger when the stakes are higher. Like I remember in the upper bracket, we lost, then in the Swiss stages we played poorly. But when our backs are on the wall, that's when we play at our best. Props to the team because of their mental fortitude.)
Mental resilience is forged through determination, and John "Innocent" Banal is set on pursuing his dream, regardless of whether his journey to the M6 championship title leads him to face Filipino teams or players.
“Ganun talaga yung buhay sa esports, siraan ng pangarap talaga. Kaya kailangan mo ibigay yung best mo kasi pag hindi mo binigay, yung sa'yo yung masasira,” (That's the reality in esports, you might end up crushing the dreams of others, hence why it is important to give your all because at the end of the day, your dream is on the line.) Innocent said.
SRG will continue their lower bracket journey, set to face RRQ Hoshi of Indonesia on the fourth day of M6 World Championship Knockout Stage.
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