Midnight on Kyle’s performance in MPL Philippines Season 17: “Kyle today and Kyle from last season are like night and day.”
Commentator Remnar “Reptar” Santa Cruz and Aurora Gaming coach Neil “Midnight” De Guzman discussed on the 8G podcast for the Wolf Casts YouTube channel which days of the playoffs help set the right mood for viewers, and highlighted MPL Philippines Season 17 players whose skill level has improved compared to the previous season.
On Memorable Playoff Days
Reptar: Not all of the best stories are the ones with happy endings. Even though the MPL PH S17 finals were predictable, the entire journey the teams took in this tournament was definitely worth watching.
Midnight: As for me, I prefer the first day of the playoffs. I can’t deny the significance of the grand finals, which are played at an incredibly high level, but when it comes to entertaining the audience and creating drama, I choose the early days.
Reptar: Yeah, that’s true. I think the first and third days of the playoffs set the right tone.
On the Best Players of MPL Philippines Season 17
Midnight: My top five players from this tournament are: CarlTzy in the jungle, Sanford on the off-lane, Sanji in the mid-lane, Jaypee as the roamer... Yeah, almost all of them are from Team Liquid PH. But among the gold-tier players, I’d pick Savero.
Reptar: I agree with that statement; I also think these players put on an incredible performance in MPL Philippines Season 17.
On which esports players have improved their gameplay
Reptar: Hadji has grown tremendously as a player. We always had our doubts about him and believed that to reach his full potential, he needed to join a team with a well-structured or perfectly organized system. Often, he was a great piece in the wrong puzzle.
However, I’d still like to single out one player from Omega Esports: Raizen or Jeymz. Oh, no, not Raizen. Nets. This season, Nets really shone like a star. Undoubtedly, he had good stats and that impacted the game, but it was Jeymz’s gameplay and actions that drove the team forward. Last season, Jeymz put a lot of pressure on opponents; his play was crucial for Omega Esports.
Midnight: I’m not sure what to use as the main criterion for determining the most improved player this season, but I think I know who I’ll pick. This guy didn’t really live up to expectations last season—Kyle. I could tell he wasn’t playing to his full potential, but in this tournament, he managed to prove himself. Kyle today and Kyle from last season are like night and day.
We all know how Team Falcons PH fared last season; I won’t sugarcoat it—Kyle really did play poorly. I’d even go so far as to say that Kyle was dragging the team down. But when Season 17 rolled around... Oh my goodness. Welcome home, KyleTzy without the “Tzy.” He’s become a key player for Team Falcons PH, and his performances have had a huge impact on the team. To me, it’s clear that Kyle has shown the most significant improvement.
Read also: Coach Moody: “If you’re afraid of the other team and the aura they exude, that works against you.”
Earlier, Coach Moody discussed the need for global bans in the MPL on the 8G podcast and suggested that a person needs to be interested in a variety of games to succeed in any esports discipline.
Photo: Neil “Midnight” De Guzman.
