Coach Ynot: Kinalimutan Namin Na World Champions Kami

By Jan Marcus Montevirgen with Reporting from Mario Alvaro Limos

After a gritty 3-2 victory over Twisted Minds in the first round of the MPL Philippines Season 15 playoffs on Wednesday night, ONIC Philippines head coach Anthony “Ynot” Senedrin believes their dream of a back-to-back championship is still alive—only this time, it hinges on something deeper than strategy.

Their series win was nothing short of a shocker. Twisted Minds, a newly formed MPL team and the last to secure a playoff berth, pushed the reigning world champions to the brink of elimination on the very first day of the postseason. Few expected the sixth seed to threaten the defending titans so early—and yet, ONIC PH found themselves in a battle they barely escaped.

It’s a stark contrast from their dominant run in Season 14, where they only dropped one series across the entire tournament. Season 15, Ynot admits, has been a reset of sorts.

“I don’t think na kaya mong i-compare sa last season yung current season. Iba yung mga heroes na ginagamit, iba yung meta, iba yung mga galaw, iba yung mga natutunan ng iba’t-ibang teams,” said Ynot.

In a candid moment during the interview, Coach Ynot revealed something he hadn’t shared with anyone before.

“I think yung pag-let go namin sa last season is yung pinaka naging mahalaga eh. It’s more of expecting na possibly mahirapan kami ngayon considering na mas natuto na yung mga ibang teams. Sa amin, it’s fine. It’s more of us making sure na moving forward, we make the best possible choices as much as possible,” Ynot told ALL-STAR.

We asked him after the revelation: This season, kinalimutan niyo na world champions kayo?

“Yes. Ganoon naman talaga. I forgot to say it pero yung success, you only achieve it at the moment you do it. After that, everyone’s back to the drawing board. Kumabaga, you have to grind again, learn again, and you have to go through everyone again. Wala na ‘yon eh (yung championship title), scrap na ‘yon,” Ynot.

With that narrow win behind them, ONIC now prepares to face Aurora in their next match—an unpredictable challenge, even in the eyes of their seasoned coach.

“It depends. It could be the same last season. It depends kung ano yung na-prepare nila. It depends kung ano rin yung ilalabas naming bukas,” he said

While others still weigh playoff teams based on their seedings, Ynot thinks that narrative no longer applies.

“I think seeding doesn’t matter anymore in this playoffs. Too be honest, pwede mong pag-jumble yung mga top 6 teams ngayon and hind imo masasabi kung sino ba talaga yung top ngayon.”

However, one thing’s clear to him: the Philippines remains a consistent powerhouse in Mobile Legends.

“I think consistent yung Philippines sa paglakas sa ML. Yeah, I would definitely agree with that,” he concluded.