AT AROUND 12 MIDNIGHT on the 22nd of November, Jay Ar aka Kelra JR, a diehard Kelra fan arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport to show his admiration for the MPL's gold standard. He came all the way from Tondo, Manila.
In his own opinion, Duane "Kelra" Pillas is the best gold laner in the scene.
"Yung kakaibang mechanics po niya sa gameplay. Sa lahat ng gold laner, mapa-international or sa Pilipinas, si Kelra yung nakitaan ko since pumasok siya noong MPL Season 7, hindi po siya nawala sa prime e. Kinapos siya sa Omega, pero yung prime niya sa paglalaro sa gold lane, hindi nawala. Tsaka yung buhat factor and instinct niya sa pagiging gold laner," Jay Ar reflected.
Jay Ar has followed Kelra even during his amateur days, when the then up-and-coming player was an EXP laner. When asked whether a gold laner could match his prowess in M6, here's what he has to say.
"Sa tingin ko po, wala e." (gold laner na kayang makatapat kay Kelra sa M6)
However he did mention that there is one who could potentially give the gold standard a run for his money.
"Kung sa gold lane, ang sa tingin ko yung makakapagbigay ng magandang laban kay Kelra si Innocent (Selangor Red Giants)," he revealed.
He likewise mentioned that Aurora could cause problems for Fnatic Onic Philippines. Both Aurora and FNOP clashed in the MPL PH Season 14 grand finale which went all the way to seven games. At the end of the day, FNOP prevailed in one of the best finales in MPL PH history.
Kelra's super fan
Upon arriving at the airport, Kelra looked back and reflected on the early days when Jay Ar would constantly follow him around.
"Lagi ko siyang nakikita since Season 7, noong Season 8 ko siya nakilala. Kung nasaan ako, nandun yan e. Halimbawa may event ako kung saan siya napupunta, nagugulat na lang ako e. Super fan talaga siya," Kelra said in an exclusive with SPIN.ph.
He added: "Sobrang nakakatuwa yung ginagawa niya kasi sobrang na-appreciate ko kasi kahit saan ako pumunta nandun yun e. Ganun siya, kung yung mga mall 10 (am) nagbubukas, nandun na siya mga 7 (am)."
Upon learning Jay Ar's thoughts on Kelra's status in the gold lane, Kelra replied: "Hindi ko masyadong iniisip yung performance ko, basta nananalo kami."
Like Jay Ar, Kelra looks forward to facing Selangor's John "Innocent" Banal, and most importantly he is setting his sights on Team Liquid ID's Sultan "Aeronshiki" Muhammad.
And before he could traverse the road and finally play on his first M-Series campaign, Kelra had to endure a lot of hardships in his career. Even when things are going downhill, Jay Ar remained loyal to his idol by giving him words of encouragement.
"Siguro noong time na nalaglag kami noong Season 11 or 12, (sabi niya), 'Huwag daw ako susuko, marami pa akong season," Kelra reveals Jay Ar's heartwarming message.
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