CLAYTON “Savero” Kuswanto knows that he’s in a very precarious position as the lone active import playing in the MPL Philippines Season 17.
But that’s only half of it.
The Indonesian reinforcement has a lot of eyes on him as he’ll try to fill in the shoes of brilliant gold laner Duane “Kelra” Pillas in an ONIC Philippines squad that not too long ago stood atop the MLBB world as the M6 World Champions.
Still, Savero is undeterred – knowing that if there’s a place for him to write his own lore in the MLBB books, it’s in the place known as the ‘home of champions,’ MPL Philippines.
“I’m the challenger who wants to prove myself in the Philippines,” Savero said confidently.
That confidence would certainly help, given the inconsistent start of ONIC this season.
The Super Family opened their campaign by beating Twisted Minds before narrowly falling to Team Falcons. A week later, ONIC got swept by TNC Pro Team, dropping the squad to 1-2 entering the Holy Week break.
With those three tough games, Savero saw early on just how ruthless the competitive Philippine MLBB scene is. Luckily for him, he’s in a team that’s called ‘Super Family’ – a moniker the squad takes seriously.
“They're very supportive in helping me adjust because on the first day, I really didn't know any Tagalog words. Day by day, in scrimmages and games, they help me learn and communicate in Tagalog and English,” Savero explained to SPIN.ph.
Savero’s communication adjustment was made easier thanks to Borris “Brusko” Parro and Nowee “Ryota” Macasa, who learned Bahasa during their time with RRQ Hoshi and ONIC Indonesia, stepping in as his translators whenever he struggled to express his thoughts.
Although Brusko usually translates for Savero, every second matters in-game, and translation can take valuable time—something the team quickly recognized during his debut against Twisted Minds.
“‘Yung comms namin, hindi pa ganoon ka pulido. Every second sa game, sobrang halaga talaga. Kapag sa teamfight, kapag tatawagin ko si Savero, may split second pa na ita-translate ko ‘yung sinabi niya sa teammates ko. Sobrang halaga ng bawat segundo sa teamfight,” Brusko said.
Savero has been in the Philippines for over a month, and he admitted he’s still adjusting to the culture, particularly with the Filipino approach to MLBB, which favors defensive, objective-focused play over Indonesia’s more aggressive, bloodbath-heavy style.
“I’m excited to be playing in the Philippines, but I’m surprised by the defensive gameplay. I’m experiencing culture shock because the gameplay is very defensive,” Savero explained.
Brusko agreed, reflecting on his own experience with RRQ Hoshi in MPL Indonesia Season 13 before returning to ONIC PH for MPL Philippines Season 14.
“Sa Indo kasi, clash nang clash. Dito sa Pinas, parang 20 minutes na, 4 kills pa rin ganun, tapos kapag sa Indo, kapag 20 minutes na, mga nasa 20 din kills,” Brusko compared.
It’s only the first phase of the regular season, and while Savero still has weeks to prove his fit with ONIC PH, one thing is already clear—he’s determined to make his MPL Philippines journey memorable, rise as the challenger he aspires to be, and carve his own legacy alongside the world’s best.
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