When Allen “Greed_” Baloy entered the Mobile Legends Bang Bang Professional League-Philippines a year ago, he made a promise to himself — that one day, he will hoist the MPL-PH championship trophy in front of thousands of passionate Filipino MLBB fans.
“Nangako ako sa sarili ko na magcha-champion talaga ako, pero hindi ko inexpect na ganito kaaga. Basta pinangako ko lang sa sarili ko na balang araw mag cha-champion din ako,” said Greed_.
And the opportunity presented itself when his ONIC PH squad surprisingly took the tournament by storm, entering the Grand Finals of Season Four as rookies facing up against a solid Sunsparks squad.
ONIC PH surely lived up to the hype, taking a commanding 2-0 series advantage in the finale against Sunsparks. However, as fate would have it, the neophytes were left crumbling down the floor, fumbling its two-wins-to-none advantage in one of the biggest blunders in Esports history, losing the title to the men in blue.
The loss took its toll on Greed_, who drew a lot of flak from ONIC PH’s fan base. But the 21-year-old prodigy had another shot at redemption.
After a second-place finish in Season Four, ONIC PH, along with the reigning champions Sunsparks, represented the Philippines in the first-ever M1 Mobile Legends: Bang Bang World Championships in 2019 at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
But disaster struck once more for Greed_, as ONIC PH received the boot as early as the group stage, bowing out of the tournament with another heartbreak. And just like what happened during their finals loss against Sunsparks, Greed_ was once again at the wrong end of the fans’ ire.
“Pumasok yung hate kasi nung naglaro na raw ako at pumasok na ako sa line-up, doon na kami nagkaroon ng talo. Pero pinaka marami talagang nag bash sa akin is nung M1,” Greed_ shared.
From that moment on, Greed_ knew that he needed a change of scenery, he needed fresh air. Luckily for him, though, a familiar team came calling for his services.
“Nung time kasi na yun medyo hindi maganda yung ano, yung team namin mismo, Kumbaga yung communication namin sobrang ‘di maganda tapos medyo hindi na talaga nag wo-work,” he revealed.
“Kaya nung time na kinontak ako ng Sunsparks, ayun immediately tinanggap ko agad yung offer nila.”
Joining Sunsparks definitely did wonders for Greed_, who emerged as one of the top support players in the country all while leading his arch-rivals-turned-teammates to the Grand Finals of Season Five.
“Yun din yung naging motivation ko kasi nag tiwala sa’yo yung champion ‘di ba?
“Kailangan mong ibalik yung tiwala nila. Kaya sobrang thankful ako sa mga teammates ko na nagtiwala sa pagkuha sa akin, doon din sa mga managers at coaches,” Greed_ explained.
Though it may be a tough pill to swallow for him, he believes that winning a title against ONIC PH, the team that he gave his all to just a year ago, will be the fitting end to his redemption arc.
“Ako kasi para sa akin, redemption season ko ngayon e.
“So nung pumasok yung ONIC sabi ko, ‘ah, hindi pala makukumpleto yung redemption ko kung hindi ONIC yung makakalaban ko sa finals’ so ayun, tinake ko yung challenge na makalaban sila,” he said.
And he did what he had to do, fulfilling his promise to himself once and for all.
Taking a 2-1 advantage over his former team, Greed_ and Sunsparks figured in a crucial Game Four with ONIC PH fighting toe-to-toe for survival.
But unlike in the previous tournaments that he joined, the MLBB gods finally smiled towards Greed_ in the title-clinching match. With both teams in a dog fight near the lord pit, Greed_ found an opening in ONIC PH’s base, securing a kill on Wise.
He then immediately turned his attention to the throne, completing a backdoor play and destroying ONIC PH’s redemption story all while completing his own.
Greed_ felt numb from there, with the sight of his heart-wrenching past flashing before his eyes. And the pain of yesterday now behind him, Greed_ can now call himself champion.
He fulfilled it, even if it meant breaking the hearts of his brothers-in-arms.
