After Blacklist International sent defending champion Echo to the lower bracket, calls for replacing roamer Jaypee “JayPee” Dela Cruz with Tristan “Yawi” Cabrera were renewed.
Many Orcas fans believed that Echo would not have yielded to Blacklist if their main roamer during the M4 World Championship conquest had been there to take charge.
But for Karl “KarlTzy” Nepomuceno, JayPee gives Echo a different dimension in terms of gameplay and makes them more disciplined in team fights. It was a no-brainer for them to stick with JayPee given the dynamics that had unfolded within the team.
“Malakas po si Yawi in terms of mechanical skill pero meron po kasing pag sa ingame, parang nagkakaproblema po kami lalo na kay Benny. Di ko na lang po sasabihin kasi privacy na lang po ng team,” revealed KarlTzy
“Pag shotcallan din, iba din mag-shotcall si dad. Mas disiplinado din kami. Okay naman eh. Nakakasabay naman si dad ng mechanical skill. Yun nga lang mas angat lang si Yawi.”
KarlTzy further explained that JayPee has become a stabilizing presence for the team, making them more formidable and difficult to counter during team fights.
“Hindi po kami go nang go kahit lugi kami tapos di kami sumusubsob nang sobra. Kasi alam na rin ng ibang teams yung playstyle namin na sugod kung sugod so minamicro na lang kami. Ngayon po, parang namanage yung ganun,” explain KarlTzy on JayPee’s impact to the team.
Echo managed to eliminate RSG Philippines in the lower bracket to set up a rematch with Blacklist for the final spot in the M5 World Championship.
It remains to be seen whether JayPee will continue to provide Echo with the winning formula this time around.
