KUALA LUMPUR — Arvie “Aqua” Calderon has been a picture of consistency in RSG PH’s gold medal campaigns in the MPL Philippines Season Nine and just recently, the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Southeast Asia Cup.
But despite his huge contributions and multiple clutch plays, the 20-year-old mid-laner, save for an All-MPL team citation in Season Nine, looks like he’s not getting his much-deserved recognition from both the fans and the league.
In an exclusive interview with Tiebreaker Times, the former Blacklist International standout shared that he actually does not mind taking the backseat for his teammates as long as RSG PH is racking up the important victories.
“Para sa akin okay lang naman po, basta suportado ko yung mga teammates ko kung ano yung mga nangyayari,” Aqua told Tiebreaker Times just minutes after RSG PH’s 4-0 victory over RRQ Hoshi in the MSC grand finals.
“Masaya naman po ako sa mga nangyari sa kanila, okay lang po sa akin lahat yun basta naka suporta ako sa kanila saka nananalo kami,” he added.
Aqua, without a doubt the unsung hero of RSG PH’s MSC title campaign, has his fingerprints all over the team’s masterful sweep of RRQ Hoshi in the grand finals – putting on a couple of heroic performances in Games One and Three to deny the Indonesians a point in the series.
RSG PH had no business winning Game One after losing all of its turrets and facing an 8K gold advantage heading into the 15th minute.
But the former Cignal Ultra stalwart kept the ship steady late in the match with his Xavier, providing the much-needed damage and placing himself perfectly in clashes which allowed the team to seal its comeback in the 27th minute.
Then, when RRQ Hoshi looked like it was about to fight back in Game Three, Aqua went to RSG PH’s defense and played clutch on his Yve.
After losing Dylan “Light” Catipon’s Chou in a botched attempt to take out Deden “Clayyy” Muhammad Nurhasan’s Xavier, Aqua was forced to defend their turret-less base from Super Minions.
Aqua made his way back to the Lord pit to aid Eman “EMANN” Sangco’s Karrie and popped his Real World Manipulation in a two-against-four skirmish that saw them take out three RRQ Hoshi members. This play definitely saved the Filipino squad as the Indonesians just took out the Evolved Lord in hopes of ending the match.
(C) Moonton
“Sobrang patience po yung ginawa ko doon, naghihintay lang po ako ng timing tapos yung nakakita na po [ako] ang ng timing, doon na po ako nag set up ng ulti [Real World Manipulation] kaya nahuli ko po sila, naubos sila,” Aqua said in the post-match press conference.
When the dust settled, Aqua recorded a combined total of 18 kills, 36 assists, and just two deaths to go along with an MVP citation in Game One of the four-game series. He also steered the team to a 6-1 standing in the regional tilt that saw the team only lose four games in seven series played.
Even though he stressed that he does not really mind the little fanfare around him, Aqua still admitted that it was a good feeling to put everyone on notice.
And now that the spotlight is slowly turning to his side of the stage, Aqua is looking to make the most out of it and continue putting on a show for both his loyal and new fans.
“Marami po akong ginawang preparations kagaya ng pagrereview sa lahat ng teams. Tapos, siguro kaya ganito ako ngayon kasi gusto kong ipakita sa lahat kung sino yung tunay na hari dito sa MSC,” said Aqua.
“Kasi po, ako po si Aqua e, siguro gusto ko patunayan sa kanila kung sino yung tunay na hari sa MSC na si Aqua. Gusto kong ipakita sa lahat kung gaano po kami kalakas. Gaya po ng goal ko, yun po yung gusto ko mapatunayan sa buong mundo na maging pinakamagaling na pos [position] four mage.”
