YOKKAICHI, Japan — Duane “Kelra” Pillas arrived in Japan for the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 prepared for a difficult reality: he might not get to play at all.
Despite his experience and proven track record, Kelra — dubbed the “Gold Standard” for his exploits in the gold lane — understood why he was being asked to take a backseat to up-and-comer Dave “Teddy” Viana.
Team Liquid PH, which won the last three MPL Philippines championships, had already built a strong foundation of chemistry before earning the right to represent Sibol at the Asian Games by winning the national team qualifiers last March.
Four of its five players had spent years playing alongside one another, while Teddy had already been with the squad for nearly two seasons by the time the Asian Games arrived, including their campaign at the M7 World Championship.
Kelra, meanwhile, had little time to settle into the lineup. His only extended stint with the team came during the Asian Games qualifiers in Singapore, before he reunited with his teammates for just five days of preparation in Japan ahead of the Asiad.
Given those circumstances, handing Teddy the starting nod was an easy decision, and Kelra understood that.
“Mindset ko lang talaga, magiging ready pa rin kahit alam kong maliit chance na makapaglaro,” he said.
But knowing his chances of seeing the Land of Dawn were slim did not mean the former M6 World Championship Finals MVP allowed himself to switch off.
He stayed ready in whatever way he could, making sure he was prepared if his name was called while also doing his part away from the game. From training sessions to their everyday bonding, Kelra found ways to contribute to the team even without seeing action on the battlefield.
Perhaps more importantly, he never let his role keep him from helping Teddy prepare for one of the biggest stages of his young career.
(C) PESO
“Siguro, masasabi ko na may mga natulong din ako kay Teddy,” said the 21-year-old ONIC star, who shared his insights during preparation while helping keep the team’s atmosphere light through their everyday bonding.
“And siguro yung everyday din namin na ginagawa, yung bonding, napapasaya ko naman sila,” he added.
With everyone embracing their roles, including the bona fide star asked to sit on the bench, Sibol quickly showed what its chemistry could produce once the Asian Games got underway.
The Philippines swept Jordan and Kazakhstan last Tuesday to top Group C and secure a spot in the quarterfinals.
But just as Sibol appeared to be finding its rhythm, fate threw a much tougher test its way.
After a flawless group-stage campaign, the Philippines was handed a daunting quarterfinal matchup against Indonesia, the second seed from Group B and one of the biggest threats to its gold-medal hopes.
Suddenly, the clean start to the campaign gave way to a high-stakes showdown against one of the region’s fiercest rivals — one that, unfortunately, ended Sibol’s gold-medal bid after a 1-2 quarterfinal loss to Indonesia on Wednesday.
Still, there was little room for regret.
For Kelra, the result did not erase everything Sibol had built during its short time together. He knew the team had given everything it had, and more importantly, he was grateful for the chance to be part of the journey, regardless of how much time he spent on the sidelines.
“Na-frustrate talaga ako sa pagkatalo namin,” said Kelra, who never saw action in any of the team’s three games in the quadrennial meet. “Yung sa paglalaro naman, wala naman ako say sa ganyan. Basta buo ang tiwala ko sa kanila.”
Instead of dwelling on what could have been, Kelra chose to focus on the positives — particularly the experience of representing the Philippines and learning from the Team Liquid PH core, players he had long competed against but had only recently gotten the chance to play alongside.
“Sa naging journey namin, siyempre, unang-una, malungkot kasi natalo kami. Masaya naman na na-experience kong makasama sila since sinabi ko na (dati) na dream team ko sila and nakasama ko sila, masaya ako dun,” said Kelra.
“Marami akong natutunan sa kanila eh mula sa mental nila before the game, ‘yun. Masaya pa rin ako na nakasama ko sila,” he added.
The experience was about more than the games he did not get to play. It was about finally being part of a team he had long dreamed of joining and learning from one of the most successful teams in Philippine esports, both inside and outside the game.
He could have easily viewed Teddy as the player occupying the spot he wanted. Instead, Kelra chose to support him, help him prepare and trust the team’s decision.
While fans called for Kelra to take Teddy’s place, Kelra himself never did.
“Sa mga nagba-bash kay Teddy, huwag niyo siya i-bash kasi team pa rin naman ‘yun. May mga mali lang din kami as a team.”
