Mirko's professionalism is what made him 'better than great'

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

Those were the exact words that Dan "Leo" Cubangay told Frederick Handy "Mirko" Loho after an M3 World Championship cast. Leo wasn't joking, in fact he was annoyed that Mirko would constantly interrupt him.

Mirko then made up for his mistake and told Leo his experience in MPL Indonesia. He was so used to the duo-cast setup, where people would constantly outscream each other.

But in the M3, which served as Mirko's very first international cast, he learned that things were completely different.

"I was not briefed about that format. In Indonesia, it was main cast, co-cast, basically we keep on outshouting each other. In the international stage, we had specific jobs, play-by-play, anchor/color, analyst," he recounted in an exclusive with SPIN.ph.

He further elaborated: "So I explained to him (Leo) what format I had and I asked about the format he was used to. Because I was so open, I always asked for their input, and I would always listen to my cast after getting that input. Eventually I was able to get the respect from my co-casters."

What occurred in M3 showed one aspect in Mirko's craft that gets overlooked: his professionalism and this was further highlighted with how he dealt with one of the most tragic moments in his life.

The death of his mother

During an interview with Caisam "Wolf" Nopueto, it was revealed that Mirko's mother passed away during his Quarantine in Singapore for M3. Two years earlier, his father suffered the same fate.

Mirko who has finally reached a breakthrough moment in his esports journey, is all by himself inside his hotel room.

"When I got that news, it was just crazy because I knew she was sick. Before I flew, I went to the hospital just to check on her if she's going to be alright and the doctors said that she is going to be alright," narrated Mirko to Wolf.

"In a week by the time my quarantine ends, she should be back home. That's why I decided, 'I'm good.' I spoke to her, told her that I'll be flying to Singapore for M3."

Her mother was proud with what his son has accomplished, though unfortunately she never got the chance to watch him shine in the world stage. Mirko even revealed that MOONTON was willing to give him the aid he needed.

"MOONTON contacted me and said, 'If you want to go back, if you need anything, let us know because we will send you back, no problems.' They were even like telling me that they'll give me a shorter quarantine," reflected Mirko.

But then, Mirko was adamant and kept on with his journey.

"At this point if I go back, it'll be too late. I'm just going to make her proud here. I'm going to make that dream come true."

PHOTO: MirkoCasts

Mirko was a toxic Challenger ranked LoL player

Though this was definitely an emotional moment for Mirko that further highlighted his professionalism, this was once a trait that was lacking especially in his youth.

Before entering Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Mirko was a Challenger ranked League of Legends player who has the potential to go pro, as he was listed among the Top 7 players of his country.

However there was one thing that pulled him down.

"I was very toxic though so none of the teams wanted to play with me and all of the pro players were so scared of me. I was a kid back then, a super toxic kid, that's two negatives that made me infamous in the Indonesian server," Mirko looked back.

"As a kid you don't really understand anything, you're very insensitive etc. You would say the meanest thing that comes to your mind especially when your team starts trolling in your ranked games in your solo-que adventures."

Eventually this toned down when he made the transition to Mobile Legends.

"For me I never trashtalked or I rarely trashtalk in MLBB because it's so hard to type. In the keyboard it's so much easier."

The transition to Mobile Legends was also the moment when Mirko was given the chance to showcase his talents as a shoutcaster.

"One of my friends from League, became a part of Mobile Legends and he became a coach, and then he led some of the teams to victory. Then he eventually joined MOONTON."

"They were looking for English casters, he DMed me," he said.

PHOTO: MirkoCasts

Chasing the esports dream

But it was also during that transition when Mirko had to endure a lot of hardships in his life.

In 2021, his mother suffered from an illness that ultimately ended her career, and with his father gone, Mirko was forced to make a lot of sacrifices.

"Moving into the esports world, I basically was kinda forced into working. In 2021 my mom got sick and she wasn't able to work again. So I had to be the one who provided for the family, which is why I decided to pull out from university because I felt like it's not going to be helping me anyways," narrated Mirko.

Pulling out of college, meant that Mirko can finally chase his desired esports dream. He was very optimistic about the scene.

"And I got this once in a lifetime chance to live my dreams, so I decided to fully commit to it because I knew if I committed to it, I'd be great. I just had that feeling and my environment supported me."

But not everyone is as optimistic. Like most parents, Mirko's mother was hesitant with the decision to venture into esports.

"At first my mom was against that idea of me stopping university, but luckily through my years of gaming, I introduced to her the esports world. Back in the day I showed her that esports can be a career with all the pro players coming in and living a good life."

He further explained: "I talked to her about it. I told her everything what I could be etc., and she was hesistant. But in the end she was like, 'If you think you can be good at it, if you can make a living out of it, I had a long thought about it and all the calculations."

His unwavering dedication propelled him to follow his dreams, something that he has been eyeing for since the beginning.

"I knew from the very start that I just wanted to join esports, somehow, somewhere, whatever game it is, whether as a caster, player, whatever it is. That chance came from Mobile Legends."

PHOTO: MirkoCasts

The struggles of working in esports

With Mirko given the greenlight to work in the scene, was it the bed of roses that he desired?

While it may seem fun to work in an industry centered on video games, Mirko's experience would shed more light about the scene.

"I would say it was a struggle, but I was able to make ends meet," started Mirko. "Firstly, my mom had savings so technically it was all good that's why she was against the idea of working, she wanted me to go through university."

Then as he went on, he revealed what he had to endure, saying: "So I had to work four jobs, financially no, but mentally and physically I was drained. During my highschool days, I was actually quite big, I hit the gym everyday, 70 kilos, bigger than I am now. I was pretty built."

He added: "During those stressful years, from 2021-2022, I lost all the weight. I lost 10 kilos working and stressing out. That's why in M3 I was like a twig."

With four jobs under his belt, it seems Mirko was hustling nonstop, and he further elaborated how his schedule worked.

"That was crazy. Mondays all the way to Fridays, I'd have to go to the office. It's either the office for the company that me and my friends tried to make together. It's called the Esports Academy, basically we teach the fundamentals of esports to the general public."

"So students will learn how to use MLBB in the real world, teamwork, coordination, strategy, logical thinking, etc. We were able to get esports into the extra-curriculum for schools in Indonesia. From 10 am to 6 pm, just normal office hours."

PHOTO: MirkoCasts

Reality strikes

But the grind never stopped from there.

"If it wasn't that, it was me going to the studio because I was working as well as an intern/head of marketing for the ROW TV thing, event organizer."

"So I was making content for them, edit for them, observing for them if they needed me to do. Plus I also had a sidehustle which is livestreaming, to build my viewership. When I get home, it's either I livestream or edit until midnight."

While one would cherish the freedom of the weekends, Mirko didn't have that luxury as he honed his craft as a shoutcaster.

"Then during the weekends, no break because I had MPL. So that was my schedule everyday, every week. Plus I was trying to save so much money as I could so that's why I lost a lot of weight, I didn't eat as much as before."

And what can he say about his overall experience? To Mirko, it was a an eye-opener.

"It was a culture shock, from everything being paid for by my parents to suddenly realizing that you need to pay this much to eat. When you start paying for everything, it builds up and you don't feel really good."

He expounded: "I was basically raised to think that money doesn't grow on trees and I was raised to think that money is very hard to achieve. So when she started to take some savings away for my sickness, for my uni, it just felt bad. I wasn't accustomed to that feel, where I'm not getting any monthly income, and I'd spend most of the savings."

PHOTO: MirkoCasts

An unwavering work ethic

All of the hardships that Mirko endured eventually paid off especially now that he has reached the world stage. M3 became a landmark moment for him as he has finally ventured into a bigger spectacle.

He had his ups-and-downs in his M3 experience, but ultimately he learned a lot of valuable lessons which molded him.

Mirko was never fazed being around the veteran casters in MLBB, as he knew that being surrounded with them would bring him to a different level.

"When I met Leo and the rest, I actually didn't feel any nervousness whatsoever. I saw them as my idols for sure. I learned so much from them before even meeting with them," he said.

"But I've never felt nervous working with them, being next to them, but also it's not overconfidence. It's confidence with myself, but it's also the level of open-mindedness that I had."

"Even though I was confident, I know that these guys are much more experienced, much better than me. The confidence didn't make me believe that I am as good as them, not at all."

He may be the new kid on the block back in M3, but one can never deny the high level of maturity he displayed.

"Because I had those two, I think I was able to implement and absorb everything like a sponge. Everything that they would tell me, that they would dislike, I would absorb."

"I always had this mentality where I was able to separate the professional relationship and personal relationship that I had with everyone."

Given what he has displayed in his journey, one can imagine Mirko's parents proudly smiling.