RSG PH head coach Brian “Panda” Lim hopes that his former ward, John “1rrad” Tuazon, can prove his worth with RRQ Hoshi in MPL Indonesia Season 13.
1rrad, alongside former Minana EVOS roamer Borris “Brusko” Parro, was announced to join the former Indonesian powerhouse, which is still in rebuild mode after the departure of key players prior to Season 12.
“I hope he can prove his worth when he joins RRQ,” Panda told Tiebreaker Times in an exclusive interview.
Touted as one of the best amateur players during his time with Z4 Esports, 1rrad was picked up by RSG PH for MPL Philippines Season 10. He spent his first season playing behind Jhonard “Demonkite” Caranto before finally getting an opportunity to shine in the latter part of Season 11, leading the team to a bronze finish.
1rrad’s biggest break came in Season 12 when the team decided to move Demonkite to their sister squad RSG Malaysia and put H2wo on the inactive roster, making him the starting jungler for the entire season.
Unfortunately, RSG PH once again fell short and finished in fourth place after back-to-back third-place finishes in the previous two seasons.
Panda said that he’s happy for 1rrad but revealed that there is unfinished business between him and the up-and-coming jungler.
“I am happy for him, but I don’t think it was my goal to send him to another team just because he joined RRQ; he’s now considered a world-class player,” he said.
The two-time MPL PH champion coach, who had previously expressed his intention to mold 1rrad into a world-class player, admitted that the young jungler is still far from the player he envisioned him to be.
But although they were unable to achieve that goal together, the former national team tactician hopes that 1rrad can build on what they have worked on together and unleash his true potential with RRQ Hoshi.
“If I was able to make him the best jungler here in the Philippines, and then we were able to compete, for example, in the M-Series, and then he had a brilliant performance against players from other countries, I think that already proves my point that he can be a world-class player,” said Panda.
“To answer that question, no but I hope that he can prove his worth even as he joins RRQ,” he added when asked if he thinks 1rrad is already a world-class player.
With reports from Jan Marcus Montevirgen
