NOT once, not twice, but four times, ONIC Indonesia’s Filipino import Kairi “Kairi” Rayosdelsol has chased the elusive M-Series crown—only to be denied each time.
Kairi returns to the M-Series with unfinished business, only to find his redemption arc intersecting with Team Liquid’s pursuit of a historic Golden Road. As the race for greatness hangs in the balance, will Kairi be the one to shatter Liquid’s dream and finally claim the world title that has long slipped through his grasp?
Fresh from lifting the trophy at the Games of the Future in Abu Dhabi, Kairi and ONIC Indonesia gained much-needed momentum just weeks before the M7 World Championship tips off in Jakarta, Indonesia, reinforcing their belief that this could finally be their year.
With four M-Series appearances to his name, Kairi now stands as one of the most experienced Filipino players on the world championship stage, second only to Edward “Edward” Dapadap, who holds five appearances.
Kairi's long and winding road
Kairi first came within reach of an M-Series crown at M3 with ONIC Philippines, but the dream ended in the grand finals as a dominant Blacklist International swept the series, a painful reminder of how close—and how far—he still was from the summit.
He later competed under ONIC Indonesia at M4, where their run ended in fourth place following a 0–3 defeat to RRQ Hoshi in the lower bracket semifinals.
Later that same year at M5, Kairi edged even closer to the championship, leading ONIC Indonesia to the brink of ending the Philippines’ M-Series reign, before falling one game short against AP.Bren in a grueling grand final.
“Matagal po bago maka-recover kasi po isang game na lang po eh pa-champion na kami sa M-Series kaso talo na po, wala ng magagawa. Move forward na lang,” Kairi told GG Network, recalling how he coped with heartbreaking loss on the world stage.
Carrying the pain of past defeats, Kairi chose growth over regret, allowing those losses to shape him—learning that championships are decided by who remains mentally strongest when the pressure peaks.
“Yung pinakamalaking bagay na natutuhan ko ay ‘yung mentality. Kasi kapag international tournament, lalo na kapag grand finals, i think pinakaimportante ‘yung mentality, hindi po ‘yung mechanics, kundi teamwork at mentality,” he said.
Kairi has stood one win away from making history and watched it slip through his fingers. That experience now makes him uniquely equipped to challenge a Team Liquid squad chasing history.
But Golden Roads are fragile. One crack is all it takes.
Just weeks away from the M7 Group Stage, Kairi continued grinding toward his dream of a world title—even if it meant spending the holiday season away from his loved ones in the Philippines.
“Wala rin po kaming (ONIC ID) masyadong bakasyon after ng GOTF kasi malapit na rin ‘yung M7. Palagi naman kaming confident pero ‘yung resulta pa rin ang pinakamahalaga,” Kairi explained, facing a packed and unforgiving schedule heading into the MLBB’s biggest tournament.
As M7 approaches, the storyline writes itself. Kairi himself even predicted that Team Liquid and ONIC ID will face each other in the grand finals.
“Wala naman po akong masyadong expectation kasi sobrang lakas din po nila (TLPH). Lalo na si Sanford at si KarlTzy. And hopefully matalo namin sila sa M7,” Kairi said.
When it all comes down to that potential finale, can Team Liquid complete the Golden Road and cement themselves as the greatest team in Mobile Legends history?
Or will Kairi finally seize the elusive M-Series title—denying Liquid’s perfect season, completing his long redemption arc, and ending the Philippines’ five-title M-Series streak?
At M7, the world will see Kairi once again fight for his place in MLBB history.
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.
