By: Arjohn Roxas
As the playoff race heats up in MPL Philippines Season 16, TNC’s veteran roamer Joshua “Ch4knu” Mangilog has only one thing in mind — to go all in.
In an exclusive interview with Tiebreaker Times, Ch4knu expressed confidence in TNC’s chances of securing a playoff berth, citing their head-to-head victories against teams also vying for the same spots.
“Ninety percent siguro (chance na makapasok sa playoffs), kase yung mga nasa baba, mga lower standing sa’min, mga tinalo namin. Kumbaga pag pumantay yung points, medyo kami yung ahead,” he said.
Having faced similar situations many times in his career, the Hall of Legends inductee acknowledged that his experience could be a valuable asset during this crucial stretch — especially with most of his teammates still adjusting to the pressure of must-win regular season games.
“Siguro wala na (advantage) kase same same lang. Kumbaga ako lang naman kasi yung may advantage sa kampi ko eh, yung mga kampi ko mga di sanay (sa naghahabol ng points), kumbaga pang sa’kin lang,” he explained.
Ch4knu stressed the importance of sharpening their preparations and exerting twice the effort as they approach their final two matches — both of which will determine their fate.
“Same lang sa mga laban namin, mas paghahandaan lang namin kasi laglagan siya, do-or-die, i-o-all in namin,” he said. “Same preparation lang, double effort nalang din, parang another grind, dagdag ng games kase dalawa yung laban tsaka laglagan.”
For the seasoned roamer, everything now comes down to mindset.
“All in na, kase dito na magkakaalaman kung pupunta ba sa Cuneta,” he said.
