“Even if you have five Fakers on your team, if you don’t have camaraderie, it’s useless.” -Arise
Maynard Limon, aka Arise, firmly believes that skills alone don’t make champions—team synergy does.
“Kahit limang Faker kayo sa team, kung wala kayong pakikisama, wala rin,” (Even if you have five Fakers on your team, if you don’t have camaraderie, it’s useless) he stresses.
It’s not the first time we’ve heard an esports player say that the most important lesson in esports is pakikisama. Across various esports games, notable players also mentioned to ALL-STAR that pakikisama is the most valuable lesson they learned in esports. Now, Arise echoes the same sentiment.
Pakikisama, or the ability to get along and work harmoniously with teammates, is a cornerstone of his philosophy.
“Mas mahalaga ba ang pakikisama sa lakas?” (Is camaraderie more important than strength?) we asked him.
“Oo! Mas mahalaga iyon! Kahit limang Faker kayo sa team, kahit all-star kayo sa team, kung wala kayong pakikisama, wala rin,” (Yes! That’s more important! Even if you have five Fakers on your team, even if you’re an all-star team, if you don’t have camaraderie, it’s useless) Arise repeated.
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He emphasizes that understanding and patience are crucial to maintaining a functional team. Honest communication, even when it leads to tough conversations, fosters growth.
“Kung gusto mo mag-improve ang team, regardless kung magkaroon kayo ng argument, kung ikabubuti naman ng team, kailangan gawin.” (If you want the team to improve, regardless of whether you have arguments, if it’s for the good of the team, it needs to be done.)
“Madadala sa game ang pakikisama, lalo kung hindi kayo sync outside the game, what more if it’s inside the game? Mahalaga sa professional plays yung connection, communication, understanding each other, things like that. Sobrang halaga ng pakikisama,” (Camaraderie carries over into the game—if you’re not in sync outside the game, how much more inside the game? In professional plays, connection, communication, and understanding each other are very important. Camaraderie is extremely important) he added.
Before Arise became the jungler of Rough World Era, he was a substitute player for Boom Esports. We asked him how it felt to be a substitute player for so long.
“Noong hindi ako nasa main five, iba yung feeling kapag nananalo yung team, para sa akin. Parang hindi mo maramdaman, hindi ganoon kasaya kumpara sa kapag naglaro ka. Wala ka rin masyadong magawa kapag natatalo ang team,” (When I wasn’t in the main five, it felt different when the team won. It’s like you can’t really feel it—it’s not as happy compared to when you actually play. And when the team loses, you can’t do much either) he said.
He just kept grinding until he was scouted by another team.
In 2024, Arise was among the players who represented the Philippine national esports team SIBOL, and it became a core memory for him.
“Noong naging part kami ng Sibol, sobrang saya kasi for the first time, nilagay nila ang esports sa Asian Games,” (When we became part of Sibol, it was so much fun because, for the first time, they included esports in the Asian Games) said Arise.
“Traditional athletes mga kasama namin doon, mga malalaking katawan na basketball players, tapos kami ang liliit namin. Iniisip ko kung ano kaya iniisip nila, ano kayang athlete kami?” (We were with traditional athletes there—big-bodied basketball players—and then there we were, so small. I was wondering what they were thinking, like, ‘What kind of athletes are these?’)
He laughed at this precious memory.
“Masaya yung experience na iyon.” (That experience was fun.)
Like many young Filipinos, Arise faced initial resistance from his family regarding his gaming aspirations. A Bachelor of Science in Information Technology graduate, he was encouraged to pursue a conventional career.
His parents thought esports was about gambling and online casinos.
“Mali nga ang pagkakaintindi noon ng magulang ko sa esports. Ang akala nila sa esports ay e-games iyon, sugal, casino!” (My parents had the wrong understanding of esports back then. They thought esports was just e-games, gambling, and casinos!) said Arise.
But when they started seeing their son becoming famous on social media, they started asking questions about esports and what it was. They also realized that it was a viable career and it made their son happy, so they started supporting him.
“Hanggang sa nakita nilang napo-post kami sa social media, nakikita mga mukha namin, eventually sinuportahan nila ako,” (Until they saw us being posted on social media, seeing our faces—eventually, they supported me) said Arise.
But there are misconceptions about being a pro player, even among those aspiring to be one.
“At saka sa esports, hindi lang puro laro,” (And in esports, it’s not just all about playing) said Arise.
“Alisin niyo sa mindset ninyo na kapag pro player ka, puro lang laro ang gagawin ninyo. Dapat may inaaral kayo kada laro ninyo, hindi pwedeng paulit-ulit lang ang ginagawa ninyo,” (Remove from your mindset that if you’re a pro player, all you do is play. You should be learning something from every game—you can’t just keep doing the same things over and over) he added.
This mindset—playing smart rather than just playing hard—has driven his rapid growth. He learned that mindless repetition is not true grinding. Instead, analyzing mistakes, improving strategies, and refining mechanics separate the great from the good.
