It’s the eternal question of every champion: Where do we go from here?
Twenty-twenty-four was a rollercoaster of a year for ONIC coach YnoT which thankfully ended on a high note with ONIC’s M6 World Championship victory. From being a middle-of-the-pack team to world champions, ONIC’s 2024 run proves that perseverance does pay off.
We managed to catch up with ONIC coach Anthony “YnoT” Senedrin during their thanksgiving party last December to get his thoughts about 2024 as a whole and the future of the team.
When asked if he saw the team going this far when they first formed, his answer was simply yes. “Isa sa mapapa-pride ko sa sarili ko is that I can look at the game very objectively in terms of the mechanics of the players. Since season 11 minamatahan ko na si [King “K1NGKONG” Perez], minamatahan ko si [Frince “Super Frince” Ramirez], and nung nagkaroon ng opportunity mag-samasama kami hindi na ako nag alinlangan.”
Of course, it wasn’t all sunshine and roses for them at the start. In season 13 of the MPL, we got to see a spark of the team’s true potential. They went on an eight-match winning streak, looking like the best team in the league, before slumping back to their usual 5th-6th place finish.
“When season 13 started I really had high hopes,” ONIC coach YnoT continued. “Pero there was still something missing. Then season 14 rolled around and I had an idea of getting [Jann Kirk Gutierrez] and [Borris “Brusco” Parro] through the tryouts. They fit the team perfectly and that’s the story.”
Improving Day by Day
ONIC’s sudden meteoric rise to the top of the MLBB world, while remarkable, is not totally unexpected. It’s the result of multiple seasons of the team trying again and again to build a strong and competitive roster. They’ve always challenged themselves to be better than the competition but now that they’re the world champions, they have a new challenge ahead of them.
“When you look at us who were a bunch of players in the MPL who couldn’t make the cut, puro talo, we were kind of constantly chasing people,” said ONIC coach YnoT.
“Now the question is that now we’re at the top, who are we chasing? Para sa akin, it’s now a question of pag-gising mo bukas, are you a better version of yourself? Bago ka matulog, nagawa mo ba ang lahat ng kailangan mo gawin para nag-improve ka?”
That’s the challenge that every champion faces. Yet ONIC coach YnoT is confident that the team has what it takes to keep climbing and improving.
“Today we’re going to celebrate because it’s a victory party, but tomorrow it’s not the same. Bukas, hindi na kami champion; it’s another road, a new tournament. So it’s up to us to make sure we’re on our toes, that we’re still trying to be better than who we were yesterday.”
Banner photo from MOONTON Games.