When Your Whole Nation Cheers Against You

Imagine winning the toughest match of your life but the cheers of your countrymen will never truly be yours.

At the M7 World Championship, Mark “Kramm” Rusiana stepped into that space with SRG, Malaysia’s best bet on the world stage. On paper, it was simple enough: Team Liquid is a Philippine team, SRG a Malaysian one. The crowd followed geography, allegiance, history. But Kramm is Filipino. 

And so the irony cut a little deeper. He was playing at the highest level of his career while his own country willed another team forward.

SRG answered that imbalance the only way a team can: by playing impeccably.

The series went the distance, and by Game 3, there was no ambiguity left to exploit. SRG executed with a precision that bordered on clinical. No towers were conceded. No space was given. It was the kind of game that leaves no room for interpretation, no opening for narrative rescue. They beat Team Liquid in a spectacle that clearly showed SRG was the better team.

And still, the Filipino cheers online remained pointed elsewhere

Kramm felt all of it, even before the match.

“Marami pa ring maiingay kaya nabubwisit na ako eh,” Kramm told ALL-STAR. 

(“There’s still a lot of haters that’s why I’m annoyed.”)

“Pero marami pa rin namang sumusuporta kaya thankful pa rin kami.”

(“But there’s still a lot of supporters, that’s why we are also thankful.”)

“Thank you sa mga naniniwala sa amin, kahit noong natatalo kami.”

(“Thank you to our supporters who were there when we were losing.”)

It’s not a bitter quote, but it isn’t polished either. There’s annoyance, honesty, and a clear-eyed acceptance of how esports loyalty works. 

National pride doesn’t always follow the player; sometimes it follows the jersey. Team Liquid carries the Philippines. SRG does not. That reality doesn’t dissolve just because you come from Manila.

What SRG did instead was strip the match down to its essentials. They didn’t ask the crowd to choose them. They played a Game 3 so clean that support became irrelevant. 

In that moment, Kramm stood as something esports often forgets to make space for: a Filipino winning against Filipino hopes, doing his job perfectly, and moving on anyway.

The crowd will remember who they rooted for. The bracket will remember who advanced.

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