The pressure could not get higher in the race to the coveted Immortal Cup, and the Super Family just survived back-to-back intense best-of-five series after battling Twisted Minds yesterday.
The season has not been entirely smooth for ONIC Philippines, and at times, they struggle to assert dominance over their opponents.
Have they lost their championship form, or are Filipino teams simply rising to a world-class level? Here's what Head Coach Tony “YnoT” Senedrin has to say about how the competition continuously tests the spirit of ONIC PH.
“Very proud kasi kitang kita yung toughness nila. Yung mental toughness, I think yung yung pinakamahalaga. Having to go past someone like Twisted Minds, again, I will never stop giving them their flowers. They're a very good team. They deserve to have a chance to battle internationally as well as the other Filipino teams and having to go through the five-game series again today, I'm just very proud of it all,” Coach YnoT expressed, applauding the high-level competition.
Best-of-fives, reaching 20+ minutes
The first two days in the playoffs highlighted one notable pattern: all of them went to distance reaching five games, and matches could last around 20 minutes or more.
20 straight games of nonstop MLBB action? How does one survive such a grueling gauntlet?
Even the underdog teams like TNC Pro Team and Twisted Minds managed to pull off a rabbit out of a hat as they pushed their rivals to the brink of elimination, highlighting the fighting spirit of the Filipino hopefuls.
“Grabe ang puso ng mga Pinoy MPL players. Laban kung laban lang sila. Lagi silang may mindset na lalaban hanggang dulo,” Cyric “K1NGKONG” Perez added.
“Lahat ng players dito sa MPL sinasapuso yung ML. Binibigay nila lahat. Sumusugal,” Brusko said.
Filipino MLBB teams are truly legendary
With each team showcasing their prowess, it seems every PH team has a chance to proudly carry the banner in the international stage.
“Parang lahat ngayon ng teams deserve talagang manalo kasi kita naman natin kung paano yung laro nila. Kung paano sila mag-perform sa stage. Kahit yung mga nalaglag, tingin ko talagang ang ganda pa rin ng mga pinakita nila,” Renejay “Renejay” Barcarse said, holding eliminated teams in high regard.
MPL Philippines lives up to its name as the home of the world’s strongest MLBB teams, but greatness always comes with a steep price.
For Aurora Head Coach Aniel “Master the Basics” Jiandani, fatigue is an inevitable part of the journey to reaching greater heights.
“Tingin ko part talaga ng esports or kahit anong sports naman na magkaroon ng fatigue factor pero nasa players talaga yun. Before pa kami mag playoffs, expected na talaga na mapapagod. So dapat lang na maging ready kami. Siguro yun din yung mindset ng ONIC na hindi talaga kasi iniintindi yung pagod kapag nagko-compete ka,” Master the Basics said.
And with the way Filipinos play the game of Mobile Legends, perhaps it is bold to say that the country is destined to carry on the legacy.
“Pinas ulit magcha-champion sa international,” Kelra added.
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