Following a fiery performance in its MPL S9 debut, it seemed like ECHO has removed any cast of doubt that the star players it acquired during the off-season can co-exist with each other.
ECHO, which has one of the strongest lineups ever on paper, proved that the blockbuster acquisitions are worth the try as the players shone bright in well-executed team fights during ECHO’s 2-0 drubbing of the rookie-laden Bren Esports.
ECHO’s prized recruits Tristan “Yawi” Cabrera and Karl “Karltzy” Nepomuceno said they all agreed to set aside their egos for the betterment of the team.
“Nag-uusap-usap lang po kami tas pinaka inano po namin yung wag mag papataasan ng pride. Kung may mali po aminin po,” said Yawi during the post-match interview.
The stellar play in its debut also didn’t come as a surprise to the team as according to Yawi, the team has been jelling well behind the scenes.
ECHO showed cohesion in the two-game sweep, easily dismantling Bren in full 5v5 clashes with their sheer mechanical skills and superb game sense.
There’s even one point at the nine-minute mark in Game 2 when Bren’s Joy boy managed to catch three ECHO heroes including Karltzy’s Yi Sun-Shin. The initiation, however, didn’t materialize for Bren as Yawi on the Tank Chou and Frediemar “3martzy” Serafico on the Esmeralda provided the zoning and protection which allowed Karltzy and the others to get away before initiating a counter-engage.
“Masaya po maganda naman po yung results namin sa scrim maganda po yung pagsasama namin. Wala po masyadong problema,” he added.
And while the team doesn’t have that one specific glue-guy, it’s been Karl who was vocal for the star-studded team that also featured Benedict “BennyQT” Gonzales and Jankurt “Kurtzy” Matira on its main five.
“I-enjoy lang yung laro. Wag masyado mapressure, wag manggigil, wag ma-tilt, tsaka babaan yung pride,” said Karl when asked what he told to the squad prior to the match against Bren.