The remaining Pheww: How Cignal Ultra heartbreak molded 'Idol ng mga Kids'

Pheww nearly could've given up on his playing career
by Carlos Pineda | Sep 27, 2023

Only Pheww lasted for 12 seasons

12 SEASONS

No player has lasted that long in the MPL Philippines except one, Angelo Kyle "Pheww" Arcangel.

He has seen it all as he began his MPL journey on the very first day itself, May 12, 2018, when Digital Devils Pro swept their sibling team Digital Devils No Limit.

And until now with a young up-and-coming Bren Esports squad, Pheww still makes his mark in the scene, as he remains consistent in delivering for his team.

His secret? According to him, "Siguro yung passion ko sa paglalaro."

From that moment when he started grinding in MLBB, there was nothing stopping the so-called, 'idol ng mga kids.'

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Where it all began

It all began back in 2017, when Pheww started playing the game as he got influenced by his siblings and cousins. Initially he was a PC gamer who got obsessed with FPS shooters like CSGO and other notable MOBA titles.

Upon seeing that a MOBA game can be transferred to a mobile device, he was left astonished.

"Ano pa ako noon e, puro PC games yung gusto kong nilalaro e, mga CSGO, FPS, tapos ibang MOBA. Noong nakita ko yung Mobile Legends, natuwa ako na may 5-v-5 na MOBA sa cellphone, so pwede ko siyang laruin kahit saan," reflected the Bren Esports midlaner to SPIN.ph.

While in college, Pheww juggled between his studies and gaming. Luckily for him, he was never reprimanded by his family for his obsessive gaming.

"Student ako, nag-aaral ako sa JRU, casual gamer lang ako. Lagi akong maglalaro, mahilig talaga akong maglaro ng video games e. Maglalaro talaga ako hanggang matulog tapos balik school na lang ako. Ganoon lang ginagawa ko."

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And as long as he passes his marks, there was nothing that stopped him.

"Hindi naman ako nag-e-aim ng sobrang taas na grade, para sa akin gusto ko lang pumasa. Ang mahalaga nagagawa ko yung mga pinapagawa sa akin at pumapasa," he revealed.

Eventually he decided to try his luck as an esports athlete. Back then, the MPL didn't even exist and teams grinded their way in community-based tournaments.

"Hanggang sa naging solo player na lang ako tapos may sinalihan akong team, nagsasali kami ng mga tournament hanggang sa first MPL."

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Entering the MPL

When it was announced that the MPL will be hosting a professional scene in the Philippines, it was finally time for the esports scene to slowly inch towards a bigger spectacle.

While the MPL scene right now is full of colorful personalities with players earning around six digits, the scene at the early stages was the total opposite.

Only a handful of teams could afford a bootcamp and the salary back then was low, with some saying that players earn around Php3,000 per month.

However there were those who didn't manage to earn a living, something that Pheww revealed to SPIN.ph.

"Noong DDPG pa kami, kami-kami lang yun e. Si King Cosmos yung parang manager namin, siya yung nag-alaga sa amin. Wala pang sahod noon, kami-kami lang. Tinulungan niya kaming magkaroon ng bootcamp, pinakain niya kami. After MPL naghanap kami ng sponsor, kaya nagkaroon ng Cignal Ultra."

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He further narrated: "Yung MPL Season 1, parang every week ng regular season, binibigyan yung prize so parang yun yung nagiging sahod namin."

From the time he entered the MPL, the stakes were now higher, forcing Pheww to forego his education. While other parents would question Pheww's decision, the Bren Esports midlaner was given the full support from his family.

"Noong time na iyun, nag-stop na ako sa pag-aaral noon e, nag-focus ako sa MPL kase parang nakikita ko na lalaki siya e. Noong MPL Season 1, sobrang daming viewers e. Finocus ko na career ko doon, nakikita ko na kaya kong tumagal," revealed the Hall of Legends inductee.

"Sinuportahan ako ng parents ko e, nakikita nila na masaya ako sa ginagawa ko, tapos nakikita nila na lumalaki yung Mobile Legends kaya sinusuportahan ako."

And looking back at his journey, Pheww never saw himself becoming a pro.

"Hindi ko ma-imagine na magiging pro player ako, so gusto ko lang masunod yung gusto nina mama na maging engineer or kaya sa IT. Pero biglaan na lang nabigyan ng opportunity na maging pro player."

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Yet his decision to join the MPL, has yielded its benefits. Pheww became an MPL champ back in Season 2 when Cignal Ultra defeated Bren Esports in the finale.

It was the perfect revenge story as the members of Cignal Ultra (formerly Digital Devils) was able to redeem themselves with a victory over their foes back in Season 1 (Aether Main/Bren Esports).

However not everything seems to be a bed of roses as Pheww realized later in his career.

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Cignal Ultra's collapse

After winning everything in Season 2, the team's mentality dipped. The squad who was once determined to avenge their losses, suddenly lost their competitive spirit.

Season 3 saw the team lose in the lower bracket final against the eventual runner ups, Bren Esports, but it was in Season 4 where disaster struck.

Cignal Ultra was in no man's land, finishing at the last spot in the regular season, extinguishing their championship window.

It was a massive stunner as Cignal was still considered to be an elite level team. Pheww explained what caused the team's demise.

"Feeling ko maraming nagbago noong nag-champion kami e, kasi parang hindi na talaga full focus sa ML noon e," started the Season 2 champ. "Noong nag-champions kami noong Season 2, parang nagsibilihan ng laptop, ng mga iba't ibang nilalaro so hindi tulad dati na puro ML lang talaga."

"Pumapasok na sa utak namin na nag-champion na kami kaya tinatalo na kami ng ibang team," he said.

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But that wasn't the only setback that took place as Cignal tried to grind in The Nationals, only for them to falter. The result left Pheww shattered and even pondered about retiring, something he revealed to SPIN.ph.

"Naisip ko lang siya siguro noong nalaglag kami sa The Nationals noong nasa Cignal ako. Natalo din kami noong MPL Season 4, nalaglag din kami doon. Tapos naisip kong hindi ko na kayang sumabay, mahina na ako," he reflected.

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'Umiiyak ako noon'

While this moment in his career would haunt Pheww, it also became his source of motivation. After shedding tears in Gariath Concepts Studio's headquarters, Pheww promised that he will never let that painful moment define his career.

"Umiyak kase ako noon e sa lobby ng Gariath, umiiyak ako noon kasama si Icey, yung partner ko. Pinatatag niya ako...After nun, yun na yung last na iyak ko na kahit nalaglag kami noong Season 8 at Season 9, hindi ko na naisip na maulit yung ganun. Ang nasa isip ko na lang bumawi nang bumawi."

Motivated to slay his demons, Pheww decided to try his luck in the Sibol qualifiers and the rest was history as he won the gold medal for the Philippines in the 2019 SEA Games.

This marked the Rise of Philippine Mobile Legends and likewise Pheww's renaissance. Pheww eventually followed his success with an M2 World Championship, despite some early scares with COVID-19.

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"Sobrang saya namin noong nag-champion kami noong M2 kase lahat ng kamalasan namin bago mag-M2, nag-payoff e. Yung buong quarantine, wala kaming ginawa kundi mag-scrim lang ng mag-scrim. Sobrang saya namin lahat kasi sa Pilipinas kami yung unang World Champion, tapos doon nag-start yung pagiging dominating ng Pilipinas," he reflected.

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The struggles of being in the scene

But if there's one thing Pheww learned from his previous experience with Cignal Ultra, is that life has always been an endless circle of ups and downs.

Just look at what happened to Bren in Season 8, where the team was a shell of its glory days as the M2 squad was shockingly out of the playoffs.

There were internal disputes that caused the downfall of one of the best teams in MLBB.

"Mahina na talaga yung chemistry namin noon as a team, hindi na nagtutugma yung gusto namin mangyari as a team tapos nag-reflect na sa laro namin, lagi na lang kaming natatalo," narrated Pheww. "Hindi lang talaga kami nagkakasundo sa pananaw namin in-game, kasi nagbago na yung meta noon e. Lumabas na yung macro-macro, team play."

Eventually the pieces disintegrated and Bren went for a rebuild. Gone was the old M2 bastion that was replaced by a young core full of promise. The results saw the Beehive emerge as one of the most exciting teams in recent seasons, but the team's inexperience and questionable decision making took the best of them.

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The top seeded Bren Esports of Season 11, ended up getting the early playoff exit as Blacklist and ECHO punished them.

"Ang iniisip nila, MSC na kaagad, hindi pa nagsta-start yung playoffs so parang lumaki na yung mga ulo namin, top one na e. Tapos nakita na sa playoffs yung mindset namin na ganoon. Hindi na nirerespeto yung kalaban, binigay yung Estes, yung mga hero nila, na-punish tuloy kami," explained Pheww.

From the numerous heartbreaks they encountered, Bren Esports did bounce back winning gold medals in the 2023 Southeast Asian Games and 2023 IESF in Iasi, Romania.

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'Idol ng mga Kids'

For 12 seasons, Pheww has always been beloved by his teammates and peers not because of the accolades he attained but also because of his work ethic and mentality.

He is a player who never basks on popularity saying, "Para sa akin, mas gusto kahit kakampi ko yung MVP, sila lagi yung nasa spotlight, ang importante nananalo kami."

Nor is he a player who looks at his overall career with a high degree of seniority.

"Parang wala naman pinagkaiba sa kanila e, lagi naming pinaparamdam sa kanila na pantay-pantay lang kami. Marami kaming matutunan din sa kanila, hindi lang sila yung may matutunan sa amin," said Pheww.

And he has always been a role model for his team. In every defeat the team encountered, Pheww's mindset is: "Nasa isip ko lang bumawi nang bumawi kasi nagtitiwala pa rin sa akin yung mga kakampi at coaches ko."

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Then when the team feels overconfident, Pheww would remind his team: "Huwag mong isipin na nag-champion ka kung gusto mong manalo."

Combine his mindset with his motivations in life, there could be more that Pheww has to offer in the upcoming years.

His family who has supported him throughout his journey has been one of his inspirations.

"Noong nag-start ako, nag-focus akong gumawa ng bahay para sa pamilya ko, so lahat nang pinanalunan ko simula noong Season 1 hanggang sa M2, napunta lahat sa bahay. Gusto kong bumawi talaga (parents) sa kanila bago ako mag-focus sa buhay ko," he revealed.

And while lasting for 12 seasons has been a major milestone for Pheww, what happens next remains a mystery.

"Hindi ko alam kung kailan matatapos yung esports career ko e kasi kung sakaling hindi ko kaya maging player, gusto ko maging coach e. Gusto kong mag-stay sa esports hangga't kaya ko pa. Feeling ko marami akong matutunan kahit maging coach ako," explained the Hall of Legends inductee.

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But as long as he is playing, Pheww is cherishing his career as a professional player.

"Para sa akin, sobrang saya na nandito pa rin ako na hindi ako tumigil simula Season 1 to 12, naranasan ko na lahat nang talo, nalaglag, tapos nagpalit ng team. Sobrang saya na nagtitiwala sa akin yung mga teammates ko, mga coaches ko kasi kadalasan kapag matagal na wala na e, mabagal na yung kamay e, tapos hindi na kayang sumabay."

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