Kairi “Kairi” Rayosdelsol and ONIC Esports recently achieved back-to-back championships in Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League Indonesia (MPL ID) after sweeping EVOS Legends, 4-0, in the Season 11 grand finals.
The Filipino star player was named Regular Season and Finals MVP in his rookie season in MPL Indonesia.
He is one of the Filipino professionals making a name for himself on the biggest stage of Indonesian MLBB, and his compatriots are also shining, particularly Geek Slate’s roamer Allen “Baloyskie” Baloy.
Baloyskie was in the All-MPL ID First Team, named the league’s best roamer for a second straight season. Together with Filipino jungler Jaymark “Janaaqt” Lazaro, he led Geek Slate to its first-ever playoff appearance.
In an exclusive interview with ONE Esports before the playoffs, Kairi shared his thoughts on why Filipino players succeed overseas, particularly in MPL ID.
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It’s not just about game mechanics, according to Kairi
The 17-year-old claimed that Filipinos perform exceptionally in MPL ID not only due to their individual skills, but because of their mentality in playing Mobile Legends.
“I think the reason why Filipinos are successful in Indonesia is we have a different way of thinking about MLBB,” he said.
“I don’t think it’s just about the mechanics, but we’re really thinking about how to win when we compete,” he added.
However, the former member of M2 World Championship runner-up ONIC PH admitted that the Indonesians are now catching up with Filipinos when it comes to playstyle.
MPL PH pros are known for their outstanding macro strategy, which won them the last three world championship tournaments and other international events.
“Now, the playstyles of Indonesia and the Philippines are almost the same because the teams here are starting to focus on honing their macro skills,” Kairi said.
“We can see that Indonesian teams are now starting to focus on macro compared to the previous seasons.”
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