PUTRAJAYA – Selangor Red Giants head coach Michael “Arcadia” Bocado expressed immense pride in the remarkable progress John “Innocent” Banal has made since joining the squad earlier this year.
Innocent, a former TNC mainstay who struggled to find his footing in the MPL Philippines, has found a home with Selangor in the MPL Malaysia, quickly becoming a key contributor to the team’s success alongside fellow Filipino Mark “KRAMM” Rusiana.
But last Wednesday night, the 20-year-old gold laner took it to a whole new level.
With the Red Giants’ tournament life on the line, Innocent delivered two monster Granger performances against RRW Hoshi, keeping his team alive in the M6 World Championship. In doing so, he made history, setting the M-Series single-game kills record.
During Game 3 of their 3-1 victory over the Indonesian squad, Innocent racked up 19 kills on Death Chanter, surpassing RRQ’s Schevenko “Skylar” Tendean, who previously held the record with 16 kills on Beatrix in M4.
(C) MOONTON Games
“Sa performance ni Innocent, para sa’kin sobrang lakas talaga ng batang ‘to. Ngayon very proud lang ako na napapakita na niya sa buong mundo kung ano talaga ‘yung potential niya,” Arcadia told Filipino reporters when asked about Innocent’s achievement.
“Actually, doon sa performance niya, kung tutuusin hindi siya surprising sa’min kasi kahit sa mga practices, maganda ‘yung pinapakita niya. Happy lang ako na napakita niya rin sa buong mundo,” he added.
Arcadia mentioned that they were not surprised by Innocent’s performance, as they had already recognized his potential when they recruited him. He also highlighted how the change in environment allowed the rising gold laner to fully unlock his abilities.
“To be honest, hindi pa namin siya nakukuha, kalaban pa lang namin siya sa scrims, nakikita ko na na parang ang lakas nito ah. Tapos bakit parang ‘di siya nagsha-shine, ba’t wala masyadong nakakapansin sa kanya,” said the former RRQ Hoshi coach.
“Kumbaga, dun pa lang nakita ko na talaga ‘yung potential niya. Naging fortunate lang siguro kami na after niyang pumunta sa team namin, mas lalo pa siyang nag-grow,” he added.
For his part, Innocent shared that achieving the record ahead of the lower bracket semifinals provides a significant confidence boost, but he emphasized the importance of staying focused on the team’s strategies instead of getting caught up in the recognition.
“Sobrang laking tulong pero ayokong masyadong magpadala kasi minsan kapag nasosobrahan, may mga pangit na nangyayari. Minsan dahil sobrang taas ng expectations mo sa sarili mo during nung match na ‘yun, baka minsan ‘di naman kailangan pero papasok ka or maghahabol ka ng kill,” said the pride of Lubao, Pampanga.
“Kaya ayoko rin masyado magpadala don, gusto ko lang maging consistent and gawin ‘yung role ko sa team.”
