Arsy and Caloy Had No Idea They Were Former Teammates

The esports world is relatively small. So small that you can spend years grinding, climb through amateur ranks, and still have no idea that the guy coaching a SEA Games team once coached you.

That’s exactly what happened to Caloy Roma, roamer of Twisted Minds, and Coach Arsy of Team Liquid Philippines.

“Naging coach ko po si Coach Arsy nung amateur po ako sa PH Ghoul,” Caloy says, still half-disbelieving.

But there’s a catch: they didn’t even know it. They only found out recently at a casual dinner with Twisted Minds during MPL PH Season 16. 

Back then, Arsy wasn’t the SEA Games-bound coach we know now. He was a faceless strategist somewhere online, teaching a team of hopefuls through Discord, his voice carried by lag, static, and the occasional “Mic check, one, two.”

Caloy was just a sub player in PH Ghoul. He never got much screen time. “Sub player lang po ako dati,” he told ALL-STAR. “Online lang po kasi si coach nun nagtuturo samin via Discord lang po.”

It took years for both men to realize they’d once been on the same roster.

You can imagine the moment. It went something like this:

“Uy, dati mo palang player si Caloy!”
“Ha? Si Caloy? Yung sa Twisted Minds?”
“Oo, PH Ghoul days!”
“Ah, siya ba ‘yon?!”

Esports: where people forget who their teammates were but remember the name of the guy who last-picked Estes.

Back then, PH Ghoul actually won a few tournaments. Not the big ones, just the kind you join for experience and, if you’re lucky, free energy drinks. “Marami rin po kaming naipanalo sa team na ’po yun,” Caloy says proudly. “Bukod pa po yung sa mga one-day tourna.”

They also struggled, as all amateur teams do. Everyone wanted to play. Even the subs. Especially the subs. “Nag-struggle rin po kasi may mga sub rin po na gusto maglaro sa team na ’yon at isa rin po ako dun,” he says, laughing.

Eventually, PH Ghoul disbanded. Players left, chasing new teams and new dreams. “Siguro gusto lumabas sa comfort zone rin nila kaya ganun rin po ginawa ni Coach Arsy,” Caloy says.

He moved on to GamerPact, got invited by Nosia, and finally made his mark, winning Juicy Legends 2023 Q2.

Fast forward to now: Caloy is with Twisted Minds and is playing in the SEA Games in MLBB Esports. Arsy is with Team Liquid PH and is the SEA Games coach for MLBB Men’s. It’s a reunion no one saw coming, not even them.

And sometimes, the game really does come full circle. Wi-Fi lag and all.

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