Coach Moody: “If you’re afraid of the other team and the aura they exude, that works against you.”

I can explain why that happened. The match against Omega Esports took place a week after we defeated Team Liquid PH. We started to feel more confident. I was 100% confident in my picks, but things didn’t go according to plan. I suggested picking Kayla as the carry, but Super Marco decided to play Moskov. When I asked if he was okay with that, Super Marco replied, “What’s the problem? Let’s go with this decision—Moskov is a strong pick.”

I think they lost that match in the first 6 minutes, when the enemies caught Kyle. The players turned the planned draft into a mess; I shouldn’t have listened to them.

At the time, a balance patch with numerous changes had just been released. Our team didn’t have time to adapt to the changed meta, including the buffed Pakito, which ONIC Philippines had picked. When they picked him and other strong heroes, we felt like we’d simply been outdrafted, since Team Falcons PH couldn’t adapt to the new conditions as quickly as our opponents. We accepted this loss, but Flap kept repeating, “Oh my God, oh my God.”

I believe that mentally preparing for opponents is just as important as executing with minimal mistakes. If you’re afraid of the other team and the aura they exude, it works against you. I’ll use Omega Esports’ “dive” on Sanford’s tower as an example. At first, it seemed like they were making a big mistake, but Sanford really wasn’t ready for that kind of pressure.

Your mental state needs to be strong during competitive matches. That’s why I believe psychological preparation is truly essential.