ML:BB teams from around the world have been trying to lure Caisam “Wolf” Nopueto away from the casting desk for quite some time.
After declining countless offers, the Wolf sweepstakes finally came to a close with the struggling TNC hitting the ultimate jackpot and securing the veteran esports shoutcaster’s sweet ‘yes.’
“I don’t want this to sound arrogant or anything, pero yes, marami na ang [nag-offer],” said Wolf in an exclusive interview with Tiebreaker Times during the MPL PH Season 14 media day.
“Every season naman may mga ganung offers, pero marami pa akong gustong patunayan as a shoutcaster kaya inuna ko muna ‘yun. Then when I felt na pwede na munang magpahinga [sa casting], saka ko na kinuha ‘to,” he added.
Just last season, Wolf received four coaching job offers, two of which came from Indonesian and North American teams.
The highly respected analyst had been receiving feelers from various teams since Season 4. However, it wasn’t until Season 6 that he finally decided to step into a more active role, joining ONIC PH until the end of Season 8.
Wolf said that there were many important factors he considered in the past, which ultimately led him to turn down the offers.
“Last season, nitong Season 13 pa lang before it started, at least four teams ang nag-approach, dalawang MPL teams, isang Indo team, tapos isang NA team,” he revealed.
“May sakit din kasi ako nun kaya ‘di rin talaga ako nakapag-yes. ‘Di ko sila na-entertain ng tama kasi pangit din ‘yung health ko nun,” added Wolf, who has been battling lupus since his college days.
“Di pa rin ako gaanong ka-bilib sa sarili ko kumbaga, then nung Season 6 nagkaroon ng offer nga from ONIC, may go signal naman [from MPL] so I took it, dire-diretso na siya.”
Now, though, the stars have finally aligned for Wolf, who had already decided to take a break from casting before accepting the TNC coaching job.
Wolf said that the chance to lift TNC back to the top after four consecutive last-place finishes, as well as the low expectations tagged to the team, is part of the reason why he decided to take on the role.
But the main and most important factor for him is the organization’s drive to build a strong, cohesive team culture and their commitment to providing the necessary resources and support for his long-term plans.
“I guess… ang pangit pakinggan nito pero kasi low expectations, ‘di ba? Ever since top eight [sila]. At the same time nakita ko rin na magandang purpose eh, siguro it plays with pride na parang okay itong franchise na hindi pa umaangat, papaangatin ko. Nag-playout ‘yun. Siguro mga 20 percent ‘yun, but 80 percent is because of how willing the management is,” said Wolf.
“Sinabi ko rin kanina, pagtingin ko sa TNC bootcamp sobrang linis so sabi ko eto na, eto na ‘yun. Also, kasi binilan nila ako ng coffee machine. Kung si Duckey induction cooker, ako coffee machine,” he quipped.
“Pero yeah, the serious answer is they are an established franchise sa esports, maganda ‘yung name, and at the same time kita mo ‘yung willingness nila na mag-hard reset at magtiwala sakin.”
