THE OFFLINE setting that the MPL-PH reverted to in Season 9 was a sign that things are slowly going back to normal.
Pro esports players and coaches in general have already felt the effects of the shift. Some felt the nerves and jitters of playing in a LAN setting. Others were overly hyped and excited.
What also made a comeback? The in-person banter and back-and-forth trashtalking between teams.
During the post-match celebrations all throughout Week 3, when the MPL-PH made its offline return, teams would make hand gestures or scream at the top of their lungs to the opposing team.
While this might provoke some negative comments, for the coaches of the MPL, seeing their players trashtalk in an offline setting was actually a welcome sight.
“I really enjoy the trashtalking onsite because that’s also part of hype and we also trained our players that if they trashtalk and you guys trashtalk also practice during the scrims din,” said RSG PH head coach Brian “Panda” Lim in a post-match press interview.
During the series against RSG PH, players from ECHO PH would horseplay after securing kills. For Coach Panda, this was never a problem with his players. In fact, the Raiders did the same when they attained kills as well.
“No, they're completely fine! If you heard what they’re doing, just one kill, they’ll just get revenge at them in the trashtalk fight. Maybe it’s ML, but it’s also trashtalk, it’s part of the culture,” he said.
Trashtalk is a sign of friendship
Prior to the Nexplay-Omega series, both Coach John Michael “Zico” Dizon and Jomie “Pakbet” Abalos would exchange banter about who was the better coach.
After the series, it was Coach Pakbet who had the last laugh as his team was able to prevail against the Roaring Tigers.
But amid some heated exchanges, this banter was more of a sign of friendship and respect, as revealed by Coach Zico.
“Yung trashtalkan namin ni Pakbet, friendly lang yun eh kase magka-team kami dati eh. Way back Season 5, naging ka-team kami," he said in a post-match press interview. "Wala naman personalan sa mga trashtalkan namin, friendly lang talaga.”
Still, the teams are aware of the limits. Coach Panda promised that his team would tone down the banter a little against Blacklist International.
“What I’m going to tell my players is kalma muna, because [even if] we are opponents in the MPL at least we know that the fans and the players are very close with each other,” he reflected.
He added: “We also know that the culture of Blacklist and the culture of ECHO is completely different. So we aren’t going to trashtalk just like today, we’re just going to have a professional game.”
Beyond the psychological implications of trashtalking, one should remember that the intent of these exchanges is to add hype.
As ECHO's Coach Michael Angelo “Arcadia” Bocado put it: "Always remember na yung trashtalk for entertainment lang, wala nang lalampas doon.”
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph