EXCLUSIVE: KarlTzy on Regrets, Complacency, and Nearly Quitting

After a rollercoaster season, celebrated player from Team Liquid Karl Gabriel Nepomuceno, aka KarlTzy, opened up about his struggles and insights following their early exit from the playoffs. Despite being reigning champions, the team faced tough challenges, and KarlTzy didn’t shy away from acknowledging his own shortcomings in an exclusive interview with ALL-STAR.

“Naging complacent ako”

“Aaminin ko sa sarili ko, medyo naging complacent ako after Week 1, noong first two weeks namin,” KarlTzy confessed.

(I’ll admit it, I was complacent during the first two weeks of the season.)

Coming off strong performances in the ESL and the Games of the Future in Russia, the team seemed unstoppable. However, KarlTzy reflected on how overconfidence got the best of them. 

“Hindi ko masyado inisip kung ano yung mangyayari sobrang lakas namin noon from ESL and Russia. Hindi ko naman minaliit yung mga kalaban pero nabasa kami noong tumagal.”

(I didn’t think about the consequences because we were so strong… but our opponents were able to outplay us in the long run.)

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When asked about how he coped with their unexpected playoff elimination, KarlTzy remained pragmatic. 

“Pinapagaan ko na lang yung loob ko, sinasabi ko sa sarili ko na sobrang tagal na namin nasa itaas, pero ganoon talaga, bilog ang mundo. Hindi langing panalo. Sobrang dami ko na ring talong pinagdaanan, at hindi kami lalakas kung hindi kami matatalo,” KarlTzy said. 

(I just try to make myself feel better by telling myself that we’ve been on top for so long, but no one stays there forever. You can’t win all the time. I’ve been through so many defeats, but we won’t become stronger if we don’t lose.)

KarlTzy’s biggest regret this season? His lack of leadership.

“Ang biggest regret ko this season, feeling ko, mas na-lead ko pa yung team pero hindi ko nagawa,” he admitted. 

Known for his vocal leadership in the past, KarlTzy expressed disappointment in himself for not stepping up when the team needed him most

“Nawala yung before na ako na vocal.”

(I could have led my team better, but I didn’t,” he admitted.. “I wasn’t as vocal as I should have been.)

Changes Needed According to KarlTzy

Reflecting on what went wrong, KarlTzy pointed to the team’s drafting strategies.

“ Kailangan namin ayusin yung drafting, una-una. Lalo na sa scrims. Hindi ko naman sinisisi yung draft namin ngayon, pero need namin mag focus kung nao yung strength namin,” said KarlTzy. 

While not directly blaming their choices, he believed the team could have focused more on their comfort picks, something that would have played to their strengths.

“Feeling ko mas nananalo kami kapag nagagamit namin yung hero na paulit-ulit kasi alam naman namin sa sarili namin na malalim yung hero pool namin kahit hindi namin masyado napipick yung heroes.”

(We need to fix our drafting, first of all. Especially in scrims. I’m not blaming our drafting this season, but we could have focused on our strengths. I felt like we would have won more if we were able to use our comfort picks because we are confident we have a deep hero pool even if we don’t use many heores all the time.)

KarlTzy Nearly Quitting

In a candid moment, KarlTzy revealed a major challenge he faced before the season even began. He considered quitting after being temporarily replaced on the team.

“Sasabihin ko na po. Before talaga mag-start yung season, nagkaroon kami ng problema sa bootcamp na gusto ko na mag-quit kasi mayroon akong kapalitan sa team. So, hindi ako nag scrim noon for two days, hanggang sa kinausap nila ako at pinaunawa nila sa akin kung anong mangyayari sa future namin. Iyon lang din talaga, sana mas nakinig na lang din ako sa kanila.”

(I’ll be upfront. Before the start of the season, we had a problem at the boot camp, I wanted to quit because I was substituted. I did not do scrims for two days, so they talked to me and made me realize what would happen to us in the future if I kept that attitude. I wish I listened more to them.)

Despite his initial frustration, KarlTzy assured that his relationship with fellow teammate Zaida is solid. 

“Okay po ang relationship namin ni Zaida. May time lang po na naging masama ang loob ko sa coaches dahil wala naman po akong problema pero pinalitan ako. Noong mga unang araw lang po iyon, pero ipinaintindi nila sakin. Naintindihan ko naman pero sayang pa rin. Hindi kami umabot.”

(Our relationship is okay. There was just a time when I felt bad toward our coaches because they replaced me even though I did not do anything wrong. But that was only during the first days, they were able to make me understand. And I understood them, but I still feel regret. We did not make it in the end.)

KarlTzy: Let’s use this defeat to become better persons

Turning failure into motivation is something KarlTzy believes will propel them forward.

KarlTzy shared a message for his teammates in light of their defeat: 

“Ang mapapayo ko lang sa kanila ngayong natalo na kami, gawin naming motivation ito para mas gumaling pa. Be a better person.” 

(Let’s use this defeat to become stronger players. Be a better person.)