A love-hate relationship.
That’s how Bren Esports head coach Francis “Duckeyyy” Glindro described his time with Karl “KarlTzy” Nepomuceno, who recently left the team to join ECHO.
“I would describe it as a love-hate relationship,” said Duckeyyy, speaking for the first time since his prized ward left the organization.
To start off, Duckeyyy admitted that the partnership wasn’t all sunshine and butterflies.
But despite that, his time with the 17-year-old wunderkind – whom he treated like a little brother – is definitely worth cherishing.
“We’ve had arguments, we’ve had moments of disagreements. He annoys me so much with his putdowns and jokes and his laugh,” Duckeyyy told Tiebreaker Times.
“But for a time, I felt like he was my little brother. I had to sympathize with how his age feels and thinks. I was protective of him and the team,” he added.
After winning both the MPL Philippines Season Six title and the M2 World Championship, Bren Esports’ performance has since spiraled down.
Members of the team, including KarlTzy, later admitted that they lost passion after conquering almost everything in Mobile Legends.
Personally, it was tough to let his little brother go.
But Duckeyyy felt that it was somehow necessary for the young Mobile Legends star to have a change of scenery in order for him to grow out of his shell and find his lost passion.
And knowing that KarlTzy will be in good hands proved to be the nail in the coffin for the world champion coach.
“I feel that a change in his environment will broaden his vision about his career. I know the people behind ECHO, I know for a fact that they will take good care of Karl,” said Duckey, who has worked with ECHO country manager Mitch Liwanag and coach Angelo “Arcadia” Bocado before in Bren Esports.
“I genuinely hope that this move helps him cultivate his skills in the game even further and his character as a person. I have nothing but the best thoughts for him moving forward,” he added.
Over the years, KarlTzy developed a reputation in the league due to his strong character and straight-forward approach.
Nevertheless, Duckeyyy, who was KarlTzy’s legal guardian during their trip to Singapore for the world meet, believes that the former SGD Omega star is a ‘good kid.’
“My fondest memory of this kid is when he has this problem that no person his age would want to be in. It was way past midnight, I was the first person he called, confused and scared. I honestly didnt know what to say or do. But at that moment I knew I would do whatever I could to protect him. Fun times,” the former EVOS Legends assistant coach shared.
“I was his legal guardian during our M2 trip so that was first feel at parenthood of a 16-year-old prodigy. It was a huge pressure because he is quite a character,” he added.
“He is a good kid, he just doesn’t know it yet.”
Now on their separate ways, Duckeyyy is now focusing on preparing Bren Esports to life after KarlTzy.
“It is without a doubt that Karl was a huge factor for BREN in the past year and I can’t thank the kid enough for it,” shared the pride of Quezon.
“To fill this void we have been rigorously looking at fresh new talents; ambitious and industrious kids with potent talent. I am pretty sure with proper guidance, we can immediately fill this gaping hole Karl left.”
