WHEN COACH Michael Angelo "Arcadia" Bocado assembled the final roster of Selangor Red Giants for the upcoming MPL MY Season 13 campaign, there were major question marks raised.
Muhammad "YumS" Suhairi may have accumulated a lot of trophies with Todak, but his recent performances revealed that he has fallen off, to the point where even the community would highlight his in-game flaws.
And while there is no denying that he has regressed, Coach Arcadia decided to look at the other spectrum.
"Ako kasi yung tao na hindi ko masyadong tinitingnan yung mali mong nagawa, mas tinitingnan ko yung mga tama mong nagawa," he reflected in a podcast with Caisam "Wolf" Nopueto.
For Arcadia, YumS' experience and his youth is an asset as he believes that he has yet to reach his prime. His faith was rightfully rewarded as Selangor Red Giants didn't just win MPL MY S13 as they've also won the coveted MSC 2024 crown, besting the favorites Falcons AP.Bren.
But it wasn't just YumS who has been ridiculed by the community as there were other players in their ranks who the community doubted.
The 8th place curse
Looking back at the careers of Mark "Kramm" Rusiana and John "Innocent" Banal, one may argue that these players were destined for below par careers.
Kramm may have been an influential player in TNC's Season 9 playoff campaign, but he soon fell aftewards. He even tried his luck and switched to Onic PH, but to no avail.
Meanwhile Innocent tried his best to revitalize the Phoenix, but at the end of the day, the dreaded gloom of finishing at the bottom of MPL PH would haunt these two players.
This became a source of motivation for Innocent, who before the grand finale, said: "Gusto ko lang patunayan sa mga bashers na yung iniisip nilang, 'Hindi ko kayang sabayan yung mga top gold laners sa Pilipinas..."
"...Kaya kapag may na-meet kami na PH team, papatunayan ko na hindi lang basta-basta minamaliit yung nasa baba."
Finishing 8th could be a curse for the likes of Innocent and Kramm as this could be a sign that the players haven't yet reach the level of the elites. So why did Arcadia select them?
An innocent soul
Just like with YumS, Arcadia didn't dwell on the negatives when it came to Innocent. Despite being at the bottom in MPL PH, and despite a lackluster SRG tryout, there was promise.
"Hindi siya (Innocent) yung basta-basta kinuha ko lang. He is one of those players na tingin ko na kahit hindi maganda yung tryout, naniniwala ako sa potential niya."
He wasn't the only one who auditioned for the role as there was another gold laner who seem to have the edge over Innocent as revealed by Arcadia to Wolf.
SRG's management was already gunning towards the other prospect, but there was something in Innocent that caught the attention of the recently crowned MSC champ.
"Sabi ko, 'Si Innocent kasi ilang beses na namin naka-scrim yan e, noong nandun pa si (Super) Red. Sabi ko, 'Alam ko na kung paano gumalaw ito e. Alam ko kung gaano kataas yung potential niya e."
It took a lot of convincing from Arcadia to land Innocent and despite the impressive results displayed by Innocent's rival, management decided to select the former TNC gold laner.
"Syempre as a coach kailangan kong i-explain technically to the management why I want this player. So nagsulat ako ng mga three paragraphs, yung strengths and weaknesses niya."
He added: "Alam ko talaga na kaya niya e. Mapunta lang siya sa team na magco-compliment yung strength niya and maco-cover yung weaknesses niya, talagang magsha-shine siya."
At the end of the day, Arcadia made the right call as it was highlighted during the press conference that Innocent would spend sessions assessing his mistakes and honing his craft.
His hardwork eventually paid off and Innocent had a clapback to those who would mock his team as scrim leakers.
"Because we have a lot of bashers who were doubting us, saying that, 'We're only here because of the scrims, we're leakers,' And I want to prove to them that even though I'm an 8th placer, I can still improve and this is the result," said Innocent to the press.
Last minute Kramm-ing
If Innocent's assessment was a thorough process, Kramm on the other hand was a sudden intervention according to Arcadia.
"Si Kramm naman, medyo last minute siya. Mas nauna pumasok si Kramm tsaka Innocent bago si Stormie. Noong una naisip kong kumuha ng import na Pos 4," Arcadia looked back to Wolf.
As his further discussed the process, Arcadia reflected to Wolf and he realized that things could get problematic once he starts looking for a foreign midlaner. He decided to stick with Hazziq "Stormie" Rizwan and made the switch to look for an EXP laner.
Back when he was a coach in ECHO PH back in Season 9, Arcadia was stunned by Kramm's overall performance: A young rookie, showing a lot of promise, hindered by the public's misconception.
"Manghang-mangha ako sa rookie season niya noong panahon ni Benthings. Tingin ko isa kasi siya a hidden gem na consistently nagagawa yung trabaho niya sa EXP lane pero hindi siya napapansin."
Kramm was known for utilizing sustain EXP laners like Uranus and Esmeralda, hence why he doesn't get the same level of attention as his rivals, but Arcadia saw a high degree of consistency.
"Kapag tinitingnan ko yung laro niya parang consistent siya all throughout his seasons e. Binase ko yun and sinubukan ko. Trinyout ko siya," reflected Arcadia to Wolf.
He elaborated: "During the tryout, he was consistent. Not just me, but the management and the players, sobrang na-impress sila. Siya lang yung trinyout ko tapos nagustuhan ko yung performance niya."
Salvaging their reputation
Who would've thought that the two players on the verge of obscurity would end up as key players in SRG's campaign to dethrone the dominance of Filipino teams.
Many would argue that Filipino imports who play abroad are only strong because they are playing in a developing MLBB region, but SRG proved these critics otherwise as seen from the herculean feats of their local talents.
It was like listening to an orchestra, where the instruments meshed well to produce a piece that could last for the ages.
And add the fuel that has been driving the Filipino players, and the results will eventually speak for itself.
"Every match, lagi kong iniisip or binabalikan ko yung sarili ko sa nakaraan. Yun yung nagbo-boost ng laro ko," mentioned Kramm in a media interview.
This is testament to Kramm's mental fortitude who briefly revealed the struggles he endured in his past. But instead of allowing himself to be overwhelmed, he decided to carry on.
"Proud ako sa sarili ko at hindi ako tumigil sa pangarap ko," he reflected.
On the other hand, Innocent realized that his run with SRG is all-or-nothing. Looking back at his early years as a professional, he was easily overwhelmed.
And in an attempt to salvage his career, Innocent didn't succumb to his past flaws.
"Hindi kasi ako nasa-satisfy sa performance ko kasi yung pressure hindi ko matanggal noong time na iyon kaya noong pagkasali ko noong SRG, sabi ko kailangan mabigay ko na lahat kasi once na hindi mag-work ito, ayoko na," reflected Innocent.
How the tables have indeed turned for Coach Arcadia who back in Season 9 was seen crying after failing to lead the ECHO superteam to glory, then was given the boot by RRQ Hoshi.
Perhaps he was inspired by the stories of Innocent and Kramm, where Arcadia realized that they all have the same desire of salvaging their fading reputation.
And while many have written him off, Arcadia proved that he could pull off a rabbit out of a hat.
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