Benthings Told TNC, ‘Innocent Will Be the Next Kelra.’ They Let Him Go Anyway

John Vincent Banal, aka Innocent, is still undefeated at the M7 World Championship.

In Malaysia, he has already become a constant—four consecutive MPL championships with Selangor Red Giants, a system built around stability, trust, and patience. From the outside, the rise looks inevitable. From the inside, it wasn’t.

Long before SRG, before Malaysia, before the trophies, Innocent was once a player many were ready to let go.

At TNC Pro Team in the Philippines, questions about his future came early. So we asked his former teammate Benthings, who is present here at M7, if he feels we wasted an opportunity on Innocent. 

“Ben, do you think we overlooked Innocent’s talents?” we said.

“Ang ganda ng tanong ah. Para sa kaalaman ng lahat, ako yung nakascout kay Innocent. Second season pa lang niya sa TNC, gusto na siyang alisin. Pinangakuan ko yung mga boss na si Innocent ang susunod na Kelra. Unfortunately, by his second season, hindi naging maganda yung run. Wala lang siya sa tamang team. Wala sa tamang composition,” Benthings told ALL-STAR.

(“That’s a really good question! For everybody’s information, I was the one who scouted Innocent. But in his second season in TNC, they already wanted to replace him. I promised them Innocent will become the next Kelra. Unfortunately, we had a bad run in our second season at TNC. I think Innocent was just not in the right team or the right composition.”)

It wasn’t a lack of talent or effort. It was timing, structure, and circumstance—three things that often decide careers in esports.

At the time, Innocent was already grinding harder than most. Benthings remembers it clearly.

“Ben, why did you say Innocent was going to be the next Kelra of the Philippines?” we asked.

“Una, yung sipag. Doon ako tumitingin talaga. Naging global ranking kami, top 1 siya, top 2 si Jeymz, top 3 ako. Top three kami sa Pinas sa ranked games, so nandoon ang sipag. Kapag masipag ka, susunod ang skills.”

(“First, it’s the work ethic. That’s really what I look at. We reached the global rankings—he was top 1, Jeymz was top 2, and I was top 3. The three of us were the top three in the Philippines in ranked games, so the hard work was there. When you’re hardworking, the skills will follow.”)

Work ethic before mechanics. Consistency before stardom.

Those numbers weren’t accidents. When Innocent moved overseas, what changed wasn’t who he was. It was where he was allowed to become himself.

In Malaysia, Innocent found what he didn’t have before: a composition that fit him, a team that trusted him, and an organization willing to let growth take time. The results followed. One MPL title turned into three. Potential turned into proof.

Now at M7, with SRG still unbeaten, the story has come full circle. The same player once seen as expendable is now indispensable.

Benthings’ early promise—“Innocent will be the next Kelra”—no longer sounds bold. It sounds accurate.

At M7, undefeated and unshaken, Innocent is not writing his story but finishing the one that was interrupted.

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