Teddy: ‘I Feel No Pressure At All’

It’s been four weeks since Dave “Teddy” Viaña debuted in MPL Philippines for Team Liquid. And he has shown quite the steady performance, boosting his team to the top of the rankings with a 9-0 undefeated record after Week 5.

And it all started when he appeared in Team Liquid PH’s (TLPH) lineup for SIBOL’s Asian Games Qualifiers.

His performance at SIBOL not only earned recognition but also helped him secure promotion from the MDL to the MPL. 

When the reigning MPL PH champs emerged victorious in the end, he earned the moniker “Steady Teddy” as he remained untouchable during the entire qualifiers.

“Malaking tulong po yung naging performance ko sa SIBOL kasi doon po nila nakita yung potential ko na makasabay sa mga veteran players. Napakalaking tulong ng naging exposure ko sa SIBOL,” he says.

Week two of MPL PH Season 17 came, Teddy was transferred from Team Liquid Academy to the main roster after their Indonesian import, Sultan “AeronnShikii” Muhammad, had some issues, disabling him from playing in the main tournament.

Teddy made an immediate impact as the synergy with the main four-man roster had already been built during the SIBOL Asian Games Qualifiers.

From there, since the grand finals of the qualifiers, Teddy, together with Sanford, KarlTzy, Sanji and Jaypee, has remained undefeated up until the first half of the MPL PH S17 regular season, sitting at top of the standings with a 7-0 record.

After Week 4, Teddy ranked first in KDA stats and third in Average Gold Per Minute.

With the stats above, he really is steady—but deadly.

And during the so-called “Golden Rivalry” between TLPH and ONIC PH, he didn’t feel any nervousness or pressure.

Tracked by the Infinix GT Watch 5 Pro, Teddy’s BPM throughout the series almost didn’t exceed 100. Only once.

And the reason? It was because his teammates always had his back.

No Nerves, No Pressure, Just Confidence

“Wala po talaga ako nararamdamang kaba at all. Pati po sa pressure wala. Confident lang din po kasi ako talaga sa mga ka-team ko,” he proudly said.

Finishing on top of the standings with 7-0, ranked first in KDA and third in Average Gold Per Minute after the first half of the regular season, Teddy is truly steady—but deadly.

He really fits the moniker “Steady Teddy” but he could also be named as “Deadly Teddy.”

When ALL-STAR asked him what he preferred the most, here’s what he said:

“Mas gusto ko Steady Teddy.”

“Kasi feel ko kasi sa “Steady” feeling ko parang untouchable ako sa lane. Kaya feeling ko na mas applicable siya sa akin and sa playstyle ko,” he said.

He didn’t choose “Deadly Teddy” maybe because “deadly” suggests something explosive—something that arrives and gets its job done in a flash. And he isn’t that kind of player.

But that doesn’t mean he isn’t deadly.

As the first half of the regular season has now finished, all teams now already faced each other, and each of them now know how the others play the game.

The second half is also the crucial part of the regular season, as it will determine who will proceed to the playoffs and who will be eliminated.

Six will proceed. Two will say goodbye.

And Teddy is already steady—but he could be even more deadly this time around.

“Yung mga ipapakita ko sa second half ay abangan ninyo na lang kasi feel ko mas magi-improve pa ako,” he concluded.