THE OPENING DAY of MPL Malaysia Season 11 saw the much awaited debut of Robert Remar "Hito" Candoy as his team, Team HAQ, challenged HomeBois, which also featured a Filipino representative in Coach Steven Dale "Dale" Vitug.
Unfortunately for Hito, Team HAQ suffered a 0-2 defeat from the hands of HomeBois. He was well marshalled in that series, as the former Chief Entertainment Officer wasn't able to find any opening.
His former team, Omega Esports talked about him during the post-match press conference after winning 2-0 against TNC in MPL Philippines Season 11 in Week 4 of the regular season.
Coach Jomie "Pakbet" Abalos watched Hito's debut and explained why he thinks his team struggled against HomeBois.
“Sa akin naman ano, feeling ko adjusting pa yung Team Haq ngayon kase nakita ko doon wala yung dalawa nilang...[si Minn and Mann], hindi sila naglaro noong unang match nila against Homebois," reflected Pakbet.
Seeing his struggles, Pakbet comforted Hito, telling him that the circumstance wasn't favorable to begin with.
"Ok lang yan kase first time niyong maglaro na wala yung leader sa game...Sabi naman niya, baka daw bumalik yung dalawa niyang kakampi, tapos baka ngayon sila maglaro," revealed the former MSC champ coach.
But Pakbet didn't just talk about the absence of the Minn and Mann combo between Aimin Zairie Bin Anuar and Aiman Zairie Bin Anuar, as he also pointed out some of his flaws in that series.
"Tapos sabi ko din sa kanya na galingan pa niya tsaka manood siya ng mga replay kase may mga times na pumupitik talaga e, napapatay siya bigla e. Sinabi naman namin sa kanya e."
Then he told how Hito responded saying: "Wala naman siyang reply, tumawa lang!"
Eventually the jokes started to compile as Coach Anthony "Ynot" Senedrin said: "Kailangan niyang galingan, baka maging content creator!"
And it didn't just end there.
Kelra denies crying from Hito's departure
Duane "Kelra" Pillas looked back at his time with Hito and expressed his role in shaping the former CEO's journey. Both Kelra and Hito were once teammates in the amateur scene with Work and eventually they reached their pro dreams as they both played under Omega Esports.
Both even had the same role as gold laners, giving room for Kelra to mentor Hito.
“Lagi ko naman siya tinuturuan tuwing may tanong siya or kapag may napapansin ako sa kanya na may mga moves na walang makakatindi kahit sino (laughs)," said Kelra.
He added: "Lagi kong sinasabi sa kanya na huwag na niyang gagawin...sinasabi ko sa kanya na dapat ito yung ginawa mo. Madalas po nangyayari sa kanya, wala po siyang mapa e, parang yung mapa niya naka-takip e. Hindi siya nakatinggin sa mapa [and] lagi kong ipinapaalala sa kanya na lagi kang aware sa nangyayari and lagi mong isipin kung saan ka pupuwesto..."
And despite the common notion about Hito being the so-called "clown" or entertainer, Kelra believed that Hito has potential as a pro player.
"Kaya naman niya e. May skill naman siya pero ayun lang, pasundot-sundot lang."
Then when asked about that moment when he 'cried' when Hito left, here's what Kelra has to say.
"Hindi ako umiyak doon, siya yung umiyak sa akin noong umalis ako sa work tapos sumali ako sa Exe. Iyak siya ng iyak doon. Sabi niya, ‘Walang magbubuhat sa amin!" (laughs)
And to add to the humor, he wished Hito the best of luck saying: "Good luck tsaka tapos ibuhat ko siya dito after three months." (laughs)
Omega's 2-0 victory over TNC has given them a glimmer of hope in reaching their playoff dreams in Season 11. Meanwhile Team HAQ still has a lot of weeks left for them to bounce back after their opening day defeat.