PUTRAJAYA – Fnatic ONIC assistant coach Jeniel “YellyHaze” Bata-anon has a golden opportunity for redemption at the M6 World Championship, three years after falling short of the prestigious world title in 2021.
The reigning MPL Philippines champion moved one step closer to capturing the M6 title after defeating defending MPL Indonesia titlist Team Liquid in the upper bracket finals last Wednesday at the IOI Grand Exhibition & Convention Center.
This victory puts YellyHaze, a legend in the MPL PH scene, within reach of securing the elusive world title he once fought for during the M2 World Championship with Smart Omega.
“Excited sobra kasi parang nung player ako, ito rin pinapangarap ko. Magkaroon ng chance na mag-champion sa world stage,” said YellyHaze.
A Hall of Legends inductee, YellyHaze made history with Aether Main before transferring to the Smart-backed squad, where he played a key role in leading the team to ML:BB’s second world championship.
At M2, Smart Omega dominated the group stage, defeating Cambodia’s Impunity KH and Todak to secure a spot in the upper bracket playoffs. However, their journey was cut short after losing to Indonesia’s RRQ Hoshi in the upper bracket semifinals and suffering another defeat to Alter Ego in the lower bracket quarterfinals.
Interestingly, YellyHaze was a teammate of current Fnatic ONIC head coach Tony “Ynot” Senedrin during their time with Smart Omega. Ynot served as a reserve and analyst for the squad back then.
Now reunited on the world stage as coaches, YellyHaze and Ynot are determined to make the most of this opportunity and achieve the world championship that eluded them during their playing days.
“Masaya para sa team kasi na-experience ko na ‘to dati. Marami na rin kaming experience rin, kasama ko rin si coach (Ynot). So parang bawi namin din ‘to sa M2 run namin nung Omega pa kami,” YellyHaze shared.
