An Oral History of KarlTzy: The Prodigy Who Became the GOAT
In 2018, while most fourteen-year-olds were navigating the chaotic architecture of adolescence—classrooms, homework, recitations—Karl Gabriel Nepomuceno was elsewhere. He was not in a school uniform. He was not seated at a desk. He was standing under bright lights, draped in the black-and-white jersey of Finesse Solid, fingers curled around a phone, headset pressed against his ears. His name then, as it still echoes now, was KarlTzy. And he was not supposed to be there.
Not at the age of 14. Not against men nearly a decade older. Not in Season 2 of the MPL, the highest level of competition Mobile Legends had to offer in the country. And yet there he was—composed, calculating, cold-blooded. A teenager on borrowed time in a grown man’s game.
Finesse Solid placed third that season. A footnote for most teams. But not for this boy. In that bronze finish, the MLBB world saw something ancient in someone so young. A spark. A threat. A prodigy. He was barely old enough to sign his own waivers when SGD Omega absorbed Finesse Solid. He finished third again in Season 3. Still, KarlTzy remained unbothered. Third place was not a destination. It was a detour.
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In 2019, the game MLBB made its debut at the 30th South East Asian Games. KarlTzy was there, taking SIBOL’s challenge head on: to claim the Philippines’ very first MLBB gold medal.
Together with Carlito “Ribo” Jr., Angelo “Pheww” Arcangel, Kenneth “Kenji” Villa, Jeniel “YellyHaze” Bata-Anon, Allan “Lusty” Jr., and Jason “Jay” Torculas, they answered. They won a title for the country. And it wasn’t just a win. It was history.
No one knew, even KarlTzy, that he could help bring glory to the country at just a young age. And who knew that his first ever title came in representing the Philippines in the international stage.
After their historic SEA Games win, Bren Esports came knocking not long after.
Signing KarlTzy for MPL PH Season 5, and once again finishing third, the fire in him grew even further.
He knew himself that he wasn’t built for a third-place finish. He was destined to become a champion.
The following season, KarlTzy and Bren Esports were a menace. They finished on top of Group B with a 12-1 record. And they even cruised their way to the grand finals, taking down Nexplay Solid and ONIC Philippines without losing a game, in the quarterfinals and semi-finals, respectively.
From there, he held his first-ever MPL PH title together with BREN Esports’ first championship after routing Smart Omega in the grand finals, 4-2. That win was more than firsts in terms of title — it was the golden ticket to the M2 World Championship.
And at M2, it was an absolute cinema.
Despite a pandemic, the time when COVID-19 shook the whole world, the path to greatness doesn’t stop there for KarlTzy.
Finishing on top of Group C with a 2-0 record, Burmese Ghouls of Myanmar sent Bren Esports down to the Lower Bracket Quarterfinals. From there, the Filipino representatives clawed their way until the end, taking away Malaysia’s TODAK and Indonesia’s Alter Ego and RRQ Hoshi’s hopes of taking the title.
In the grand finals, they face a familiar foe, the Burmese Ghouls.
It wasn’t a payback anymore for what the Malaysian team did to them in the upper-bracket. Glory itself was on the line. In the final game, in the battle of strength, mental fortitude, and pure skills, with the world watching, KarlTzy carried Bren Esports to a 4-3 win—marking the beginning of the Philippine Era in MLBB.
KarlTzy even became the first Filipino to win an MVP title in the World Championship. The prodigy cemented his legend.
But even gods fall.
After M2, Bren Esports struggled. MPL PH Seasons 7 and 8 were marked by early exits and lost momentum. KarlTzy, ever the competitor, made a difficult decision to leave.
He joined a new project — ECHO’s “Super Team”.
His first season with them ended in disappointment, finishing 5th-6th place in Season 9. But champions don’t run. They rebuild.
Season 10 was a comeback. Alongside youngbloods Alston “Sanji” Pabico and Sanford “Sanford” Vinuya, newcomers Jhonville “Outplayed” Villar and Justine “Zaida” Palma, veterans Jaypee “Jaypee” Dela Cruz, Tristan “Yawi” Cabrera, and Frederic “Bennyqt” Gonzales, and coaches Robert “Trebor” Sanchez and Harold “Tictac” Reyes, the squad found its rhythm — The ECHO Express.
Despite finishing second against Blacklist International in the grand finals, they earned a ticket to M4 and KarlTzy returned to the international stage with fire burning in his eyes.
The path to glory seemed easy for ECHO in the Group Stage up to the Upper Bracket Semi-Finals in the Knockout Stage. However, in the Upper Bracket Finals, Blacklist International stood once again in their way, sending them into the Lower Bracket Finals against RRQ Hoshi.
KarlTzy and ECHO’s fire hasn’t extinguished. It even grew bigger as if it were poured with gasoline. After eliminating RRQ Hoshi, 3-1, for the third time, the stage was set for ECHO and Blacklist International.
The battle between the two powerhouse teams of the Philippines became one of the most dominant displays in MLBB history. ECHO defeated the defending world champions with a 4-0 sweep in the grand finals.
KarlTzy made history once again. The first two-time World Champion. He also earned a new nickname: “The Young GOAT.”
And he wasn’t done.
In MPL PH Season 11, KarlTzy and ECHO broke the infamous “Champion’s Curse”, sweeping Blacklist International once again, 4-0, in the grand finals.
At this time, he was a SEA Games Gold Medalist, two-time World Champion, and two-time MPL PH title holder.
The only thing he doesn’t have in his vast trophy collection? The MLBB South East Asia Cup or now called Mid-Season Cup (MSC).
In 2023, KarlTzy made his first appearance in the MSC. Yearning to continue his glory and complete all major MLBB tournaments, he fell short. ECHO lost against ONIC Indonesia in the semi-finals, 0-3. Still, they claimed third.
Aiming for a back-to-back title in Season 12, they once again finished bronze against Blacklist International.
By Season 13, change came fast and loud. Team Liquid officially entered the MLBB scene, absorbing both AURA Fire and ECHO. The result: Liquid ECHO.
KarlTzy led them once again to another grand finals appearance. But this time around, they faced his old team, Falcons AP Bren. Encountering his previous teammates David “FlapTzy” Canon and Phewwl, he didn’t show any mercy. Liquid ECHO defeated Falcons AP Bren, 4-0.
Looking for another shot to claim the MSC title in 2024, FlapTzy, Pheww, and the whole Falcons AP Bren squad took revenge, sending Liquid ECHO packing, 3-1, where the latter finished 3rd to 4th place.
Similar script happened once again in Season 14, KarlTzy and Team Liquid were knocked down by Aurora in a tight five-game series, 2-3, in the first round of the playoffs.
But then came the year 2025. The year the new GOAT was announced.
Season 15 came with Kiel “OHEB” Soriano stepping as Team Liquid’s new gold laner, fresh synergy was born — “The Babycakes Duo.”
Finishing at the top of the standings during the Group Stage with a 12-2 record, Team Liquid PH sent Team Falcons PH down to the lower bracket before they were sent in the same place by the defending MPL PH Season 14 Champions ONIC Philippines.
In the lower-bracket finals, the Cavalry and the Falcons once again faced each other. And, the same thing happened. Team Liquid emerged victorious, punched through the finals, and claimed the second slot at the MSC 2025.
The MPL PH Season 15 grand finals was like the Battle of the Gods. The fight between TLPH and ONIC PH was an all-out brawl.
Team Liquid took the first game in the best-of-seven series. However, defending champions bounced back in games two and three. Winning Game 4 and refusing to give the match point, TLPH’s signature diversion play in Game 5 allowed them to clinch one more game to reclaim the MPL PH title. But Game 6 didn’t turn out in their favor. Game 7 did.
After hoisting the first ever Immortal Cup, KarlTzy now had one SEA Games Gold Medal, two-time World Champion title, and four-time MPL PH champ.
It wasn’t just another title. It was a reminder. KarlTzy still had it.
MSC 2025 came. It was the time. Team Liquid PH was unstoppable. The Cavalry remained undefeated.
Absolute dominance in the Group Stage, 2-0. Eliminating Aurora Türkiye in the first round of the Knockout Stage. Exacting revenge against ONIC Indonesia — the team that sent them home in MSC 2023.
For KarlTzy being hailed as the GOAT was just like going smoothly as it was pre-written in a script.
With the elusive MSC title on the line, KarlTzy and the whole TLPH squad summoned every ounce of wisdom, experience, and fire that they had against SRG OG, resulting in a 4-1 victory.
For the first time in two years the Philippines stood atop MSC again. The elusive title that KarlTzy was once sought was now finally in his hands
August 2, 2025: The day he completed the trophies from all major MLBB tournaments. The SEA Games. The World Championship. The MPL. The MSC. Every crown. Every summit.
When asked post-match if he was now the face of MLBB, KarlTzy looked into the camera, smiled like someone who had seen the mountaintop, and said—
“YES.”
The prodigy is gone.
The “Young GOAT” label was once fitting. He is now the GOAT. KarlTzy is HIM.
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