Despite being one of the M4 World Champions, Yawi loves it when people underestimate him.
The MPL PH S15 regular season has come to a close and TNC’s Yawi feels proud of what he and his squad have accomplished so far.
TNC Pro Team finished the season in fifth place and are finally back in the playoffs after being absent for it since season nine. It’s honestly a cause for celebration since the team’s been stuck in last place for five seasons in a row. But for veteran Roamer Tristan “Yawi” Cabrera, there’s still more work to be done.
“Masaya kami kasi nakapasok kami ng playoffs pero may konting hinayang din kasi merong games na hindi nailabas yung potential namin,” said TNC’s Yawi. “May times na feel namin na kung pangit yung draft, nakaka-bitin kasi parang binigay namin yung laro. Pero yun yung ii-work out talaga namin kasi mahaba din yung break. Kasi sa galawan, konti lang at pwede namin linisin yan.”
Yawi was absent from the MPL PH for the entirety of 2024 thanks to his sting with Team Liquid ID. When news came that he was returning with TNC, many were expecting him to use his veterancy to turn the team around. It’s a lot of pressure, especially for a world champion joining a bottom-of-the-barrel team. However, Yawi didn’t let those expectations get to him and focused on helping his team grow.
“Confident naman ako na malaki yung maaambog ko sa TNC dahil sa experience at learnings ko galing sa mga ibang teams,” said TNC’s Yawi. “So coming into TNC, ang sarap nung feeling na underdogs kami. Practice lang and always do our best lang kami.”
And despite being the underdogs, Yawi is confident that that will give them the edge in the offseason. “Kayang-kaya namin yung mga kalaban namin sa playoffs, lalo na best-of-five yun. Parang walang ranking-ranking dun, kahit top two ka. Back to zero talaga yun – parang nawala na yung regular season, so kayang-kaya namin talaga.”
Banner photo from MOONTON Games.