Playing in an arena is one way to fuel the competitive spirit of the league’s top players.
As the MPL PH S16 regular season approaches its conclusion, ONIC PH’s Kelra can barely contain his excitement for the playoffs.
Despite their less-than-stellar season, ONIC PH were still able to secure their spot at the Cuneta Astrodome. As it stands, the reigning M-series world champions look like the third-best team in MPL PH, but that’s not the focus for star Gold Laner Grant “Kelra” Pillas. Right now, he’s riding the hype of playing in the biggest MPL PH playoffs yet.
“Sobrang happy na may chance kami makalaro sa ganitong kalaking stage,” said ONIC PH’s Kelra. “Sobrang excited ako makalaro sa playoffs at ibibigay namin yung best namin para makalagpas sa first round exit!”
Joking aside, ONIC still has a lot to prove, even though they’ve secured their spot. They started the season trying to find their championship-winning consistency, and as the regular season comes to a close, they’re still trying to find it.
They’ve had moments of brilliance, sparks of the M6 world champions, but they’ve had equally as big fumbles as well. When the team went 0-2 in week six, that became a wake-up call for them to double their efforts.
That being said, it’s hard to imagine ONIC getting eliminated early in the playoffs even in their current form. And with Kelra getting the motivation boost of playing in an arena, this might be what the team needs to put themselves back on top.
“Para sa akin, goosebumps,” said ONCI PH’s Kelra when asked how he feels about the playoffs having an arena-level crowd. “Lalo na pag maraming tao tapos sumisigaw sila para sa mga teams sinusuporta nila. Sobrang excited ako talaga sa magiging playoffs.”
Banner photo from MOONTON Games.