Inside the Heart of a King
As confetti fell on Fnatic ONIC Philippines after a wild 7-game heartstopper with Aurora, the stage became emotional. Kelra was bawling his eyes out, Coach Tony was embracing his boys while crying, and K1ingKong’s eyes were red with tears.
For Cyric King “K1ngKong” Perez, it was the culmination of everything. The championship came earlier for him than most pro players who’ve been in the scene far longer than he had been.
Through the chaos, King found his family’s faces in the crowd. Among all the players’ families, it was King’s family who never missed a match throughout the season.
“Tuwing nakikita ko ang pamilya ko sa venue, namo-motivate ako lalo. Imbes na madagdagan ang pressure, nababawasan kasi nakikita ko sila,” King told ALL-STAR.
Nobody knew they were King’s secret weapon.

“First and foremost, it’s for myself, for my family, and for the Lord,” he said. He wore his pride openly, knowing his family had been there through every high and low, sacrificing alongside him.
Before the start of each game in the series, King looks at his family and draws calmness and confidence from them.
“Tumitingin sa kanila bago mag-start ang games. Mas nakakapag-focus ako dahil mas nare-realize ko ang mga goals ko.”
In K1ngKong’s heart, his family holds the ultimate throne.

But this victory wasn’t just for the record books, too.
This season, the Fnatic ONIC lineup grew close, and King pointed out that a lot of this comes down to the relaxed yet disciplined atmosphere fostered by ONIC’s management.
“They trust us to be responsible,” he shared. “We’re free to do what we want after scrims, and I think that keeps us sane.”
Their typical routine?
Post-scrims gym sessions at Anytime Fitness and late-night eats at Sinangag Express, building camaraderie over workouts and midnight meals. It’s a ritual that has bonded the team uniquely.
ONIC’s scrims start at 2 p.m. and end at 10 p.m. After the evening scrims, the players would leave the boot camp and head to the gym and work out until past midnight.
“Sa Onic, yung management namin, maluwag. Parang, sige lang, bahala kayo sa kung anong gusto niyong gawin basta mag-focus kayo sa scrims,” said King.
“Kasi pagkatapos ng scrims namin, bahala na kami sa kung anong gusto naming gawin,” he added.

When King stood on that stage, he couldn’t hold back the tears.
“The fact that after three seasons, we became champions without expecting it. Considering na relatively bagong team kami, tapos nakaka-proud siya para sa sarili at sa team. Naging emotional ako.”
As Fnatic ONIC Philippines revels in their championship glory, they’re already setting their sights on an even bigger stage: the M6 World Championship.
For Cyric “K1ngKong” Perez and his team, the MPL title is only the beginning, and they’re coming for the world.