TEAM LIQUID Philippines charged into the season with an aura of invincibility, a roster stacked with world-class talent, and a reputation for never backing down—but the once-impenetrable armor is revealing its cracks.
How do champions deal with the bitter taste of defeat? Karl “KarlTzy” Nepomuceno sees it as a lesson in resilience, accountability, and growth.
“Okay pa naman kami kasi week 2 pa lang naman tapos lahat naman kami willing mag-adjust pa. Siguro ‘yun yung maganda ngayon, lahat kami ok pa rin kahit natatalo kami. Alam din namin sa sarili namin mga mali namin kaya mag i-improve pa kami sa mga next na laban namin,” KarlTzy said.
“Sobrang taas ng level of competition pero tingin ko hindi lang namin (Team Liquid PH) nalalaro yung laro talaga namin,” he added.
Has Liquid adjusted to the meta?
Team Liquid PH’s struggles in Season 16 stand in stark contrast to their dominant run at MSC 2025, but at the end of the day, they are still human, doing their best to push past their limits.
Head coach Rodel “Arsy” Cruz pointed to the factors that turned their early journey into an uphill climb.
“Uulitin ko lang din yung sinabi ko nung first week na sobrang nag i-struggle kami dahil na-late kami sa naging meta. Hindi siya sobrang reasonable na nag-off kami pero may impact pa rin yun kung bakit nag-i-struggle kami ngayon,” Coach Arsy explained.
“Kapag nag-champion talaga yung isang team, deserve talaga nila ng rest day and i-feel din talaga nila kung ano yung mga achieve nila. So, ‘yun yung magiging impact kapag nag-off talaga kayo after ng mga achievements,” he added.
With a 1-2 record, Team Liquid PH faces Twisted Minds on Sunday in hopes to improve their win-loss slate in the regular season.
Team Liquid PH’s stumble underscores the unforgiving nature of MPL Philippines, a league where every team is hungry for glory and no champion’s reign goes unchallenged.
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