By: Jan Marcus Montevirgen
As the competition intensifies in the M6 World Championships, unexpected outcomes are inevitable. One major shock came when Aurora was eliminated earlier than expected, falling to Team Liquid Indonesia 0-2 on Wednesday.
While the early exit was surprising, it also served as a wake-up call for Fnatic ONIC Philippines, the last Filipino team standing in the tournament and still vying for the title.
In an exclusive interview with Tiebreaker Times, Fnatic ONIC Philippines head coach Anthony “Ynot” Senedrin shared his thoughts on Aurora’s elimination, acknowledging that it was both a shock and a lesson. He emphasized that overconfidence could end their hopes of retaining the country’s dominance in the M-series tournament, despite being regarded as one of the top contenders.
“Personally, [Aurora’s loss] I don’t think it really affected the state of the team. It was honestly a shock though na sobrang nahirapan mga kapatid natin sa RORA. I would say though na it’s a huge heads up for the team na we really can’t let our guard down, considering a team that stretched us to a Game 7 went down so early. It’s a reality check na there’s a chance PH can lose the title if we are overconfident,” Ynot said.
“Yes, definitely surprised. We expected Rora to actually make it ahead of us as we know how capable they are bago pa magstart ang M6,” he added.
Though the team is more determined than ever to retain the championship title for the Philippines, FNOP’s focus remains on the bigger picture—preserving the legacy of those who came before them.
The Philippines has been a dominant force on the global MLBB stage since M2 in 2021, when Bren Esports (now Falcons AP.Bren) claimed the country’s first-ever M-series title in a historic seven-game showdown against the Burmese Ghouls, 4-3.
That iconic victory marked the beginning of the golden era for Philippine MLBB, as Filipino teams went on to claim the next three championships. M3 saw ONIC Philippines and Blacklist International battle it out in an all-Filipino final, with Blacklist sweeping the series 4-0.
The dominance continued in M4, where the Tier One-backed squad made another grand finals appearance, but it was ECHO that seized the crown with a dominant 4-0 sweep. In M5, FCAP stunned the MLBB community with a thrilling 4-3 victory over ONIC Indonesia (now Fnatic ONIC Indonesia), claiming their second world championship title.
“It’s still the same for us, we went in having the thought of defending the crown our predecessors fought so hard for. Hype may have risen for the players, but it’s something we haven’t really talked about,” Ynot said.
As Fnatic ONIC Philippines prepares to open the knockout stage against reigning MSC and MPL Malaysia champions Selangor Red Giants on Saturday, the team remains grounded, using Aurora’s unexpected exit as a reminder of how quickly things can change in the tournament.
With a renewed sense of purpose and the values that have sustained their success, Ynot is confident that the glory will ultimately return to their hands.
“Pretty confident [that the team can make it up until the end] as long as we make sure we stay true to who we are. Maintaining that discipline, respect for each other, the trust we all earned for each other. I believe we can make it with these in our hearts,” he concluded.
