MPL Philippines is a Monster That Forges Champions, and ONIC PH Respects It
What happens next when you fulfill your dreams? For many years, the current roster of ONIC Philippines has been dreaming of winning the MPL Philippines and the M-Series World Championship. Now that they’re champions in both, ALL-STAR visited the boys in their boot camp to see what’s different.
Super Frince was eating daing na bangus when we entered. After a few minutes, Kirk walked into the living room with wet hair, then got his breakfast that looked like a meat roll.
Unlike other boot camps of MPL teams, this one was relatively small but sufficient. It did not have the luxuries of a pantry filled with chocolates and sweets such as Aurora’s, nor did it have the flex shelf of trophies and awards like Team Liquid PH’s. It did not even have the M6 trophy on display (we hear ONIC Indo wants to keep it), just a banner of the MPL-PH Season 14 championship.
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Unlike other boot camps, ONIC Philippines’ does not have a formal gaming room. Instead, right next to the kitchen, the players gather around a table in their living room where they all play.
Honestly, this is the most humble boot camp in the league, and yet it produced world champions.
Kelra arrived, looking groggy. “Ey, kuya,” he greeted. It was early—the call time was 11 a.m.
A few minutes later, everybody settled around the table in the living room next to the kitchen.
“Kirk, while you were at M6, you told Mirko MPL-PH has stronger teams than M6,” we pointed out.
“We had a tougher time in MPL Philippines than in M6,” said Kirk, Exp Laner of ONIC Philippines.
Then Coach Tony elaborated.
“One factor is the level of confidence of Philippine teams against each other. It’s different when every Filipino team has their pride on the line,” said Coach Tony.
He also admitted how Filipinos are much better players mechanically and mentally than other players from other regions.
And then there’s the fact that the Philippines has won the M2, M3, M4, and M5 World Championships. According to Coach Tony, for foreign teams, the weight of facing such a storied legacy is hard to ignore.
“On the international stage, it’s undeniable that the Philippines maintains an edge over other countries when it comes to mentality and focus on the game. The legacy established by the former champions of the M-Series—BREN, Blacklist, ECHO, and BREN again—is nothing short of extraordinary. Their dominance is a game-changing factor. No matter how the regional conferences play out, once they realize they’ll be facing the Philippines, a sense of intimidation sets in.”
And it feels so good that the Philippines is intimidating.
“We felt a bit cocky,” said K1ingKong, jungler of ONIC Philippines. “We felt like we weren’t afraid of anyone, and we felt we could execute everything correctly whoever our opponent was.”
But they did not even look cocky. In fact, they looked stoic throughout the series during the grand finals of the M6.
That zen was because of something that happened in MPL-PH Season 14 during their finals match against Aurora.
“Never be complacent!” said Brusko, roamer of ONIC Philippines.
“Because during the finals of Season 14, when we had Aurora in a 3-1 advantage, the game was not done but I was already thinking of how I would celebrate!” said Brusko.
Kelra had the same emotion.
“When we had them at 3-1, I wanted to stand and celebrate! It was a hard lesson I learned,” Kelra told ALL-STAR.

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Aurora tied the series 3-3 before ONIC Philippines closed it out in game 7 in which all the players showcased their signature picks and just went all out.
After that scare, Kelra put his foot down and told everyone not to be complacent and not to let that happen again in M6. And they didn’t.
“Kelra told us to treat the world stage as if it were the MPL-PH. Actually mas mahirap pa nga sa MPL-PH,” said Brusko, echoing what Kirk said earlier.
During the M6 grand finals between ONIC Philippines and Team Liquid Indonesia, ONIC was at match point at 3-1.
“I contained my emotion and told everyone not to be too excited, and what happened in the MPL shouldn’t happen again in M6,” said Kelra. “We still took it one game at a time.”
ONIC Philippines made child’s play out of Team Liquid Indonesia in M6, shutting them down in all three encounters from the Swiss Stage, Knockout Stage, and Grand Finals.
Every play and strategy by ONIC Philippines was perfect. And they all had to thank Season 14 of the MPL Philippines for it.
“In Season 14, we just enjoyed the games,” said Kelra. “We always kept in mind that the pressure was not on us but on our opponents. We were just chill,” he added.
Unlike the roster of the past season, this one felt right at ease from day one.
“I’ve always trusted my previous teammates, but with this group, since day one, we already felt a solid bond among us. We dominated early on. I thought this team is the fittest team for each of us,” Kelra told ALL-STAR.
Thanks to this setup, everyone is feeling limitless.
“In the past, I couldn’t showcase my potential, it’s only now that I was able to show it,” said Brusko, who was benched during his stint with Indonesia’s RRQ Hoshi.
As the boys shuffled in their seats, it was evident in their body language how this was a team that hides nothing from each other. Like children, the boys would goof around each other a lot, but when it’s time for work, all the kids become serious adults.
Coach Tony looks at them with a grin, quietly proud of the goofballs he’s raised for a season. For all his stellar performance as a coach, he still deflects the credit to his boys.
“Since Season 7, I haven’t been able to draft. It was my first time to draft in Season 14, I had to step up. But with these guys, it was so easy. Anything I gave to them, they executed perfectly,” Coach Tony told ALL-STAR.
To some players, Season 13 was the most heartbreaking season and the most stressful because of the pressure. But in Season 14, it was all gone.
“I can say there was no pressure because the only thing I ask of them is to be serious when it’s time for work. After that, we do whatever we want,” said Coach Tony.
At ONIC Philippines, there is no curfew. The boys could still be out of the boot camp at 2 a.m., eating at a Korean barbecue or hitting the gym.
“If someone wants to go on a food trip, that’s fine. At the end of the day, it’s just us enjoying. It is what it is. Just like what King said, we felt a bit cocky, we weren’t a regular team that has a rigid routine, waking up at 10 a.m., and doing scrims until midnight. We’re not like that,” said Coach Tony.
“Kung ano lang yung sakto, iyon lang yung ginawa namin.”
When they won MPL-PH Season 14, they cried. But when they won the M6, nobody cried.
Why?
“I believe it’s all about experiencing that first taste of victory. Especially in MPL Philippines. We’ve been in the league for years, yet we’d never even come close to winning a championship. We couldn’t make it happen. Then, out of nowhere, after just one season of bonding and working together, we achieved it. That win holds so much more meaning for us because of everything we went through to get there,” said Coach Tony.
Coach Haze also added, “The emotion was more intense in MPL-PH Season 14, we reached seven games in the grand finals and everybody just picked their signature heroes in Game 7.”

K1ngKong agreed that MPL-PH was just a different kind of monster that forged them.
“The games we played in the Philippines were on a different level, especially in the grand finals when we played seven games,” said K1ngKong.
“In M6, we were just happy-happy. We didn’t have any difficulty in our match during the Grand Finals,” he added.
Kelra was uncharacteristically silent.
“What about you, Kelra. Many people were moved to tears when they saw you crying in Season 14. But during your crowning moment in M6, you were just laughing,” we said.
Kelra snapped out of his daydream.
“I didn’t cry because I was thinking we are now millionaires!” Kelra said.
“I was happy. That’s the motivation I told everybody, if we win M6, we’re going to be millionaires!”
Everybody laughed.
The conversation shifted to how they would spend their prize money. Kelra wants to build a house, and the rest have no idea what to do with their money.
Now that they’ve fulfilled their biggest dream of becoming world champions, what’s next?
K1ngKong and Brusko have their eyes set on the Golden Road, a feat of winning the MPL, Mid-Season Cup (MSC), and the M-Series World Championship in a single competitive year.
Kirk wants to win the EWC, while Super Frince wants to sweep the entire calendar’s tournaments.
Coach Tony was the last to speak.
“Everything they said hinges on their journey, and that’s on me,” said Coach Tony.
“I asked them if they were content with their M6 win or wanted more. Because we can stop, and that’s okay. But they all said they want more. So I will make sure that every day, we keep improving. My goal is how to help everyone improve, one tournament at a time.”
The boys came to Season 14 and M6 with no expectations and feet fully grounded. And as the dust settles, the boys have already forgotten they are world champions.
So this is how it feels after you’ve fulfilled your biggest dream: It feels ordinary—as it should. And we suddenly understand why it’s okay for their parent team in Indonesia to keep the damn World Championship trophy: True greatness isn’t about the titles you’ve earned or the trophies on your shelf. It’s about the journey, the growth, and the hunger to keep pushing forward.
