By: Jan Marcus Montevirgen
Fnatic ONIC’s head coach Paul “Yeb” Miranda addressed their unanticipated early exit from the 2024 Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Mid-Season Cup (MSC) with a candid response, refusing to make excuses for their performance.
“Just to be fair with the tournament, no excuses. Whatever we have experienced, we’re not used to it. It’s just excuses. Still, a loss is a loss,” Yeb said.
The reigning MSC champions were dealt a stunning blow by the coachless See You Soon squad, who swept them aside in a surprising upset, 2-0, during their first series on Day 4.
This setback was compounded by a defeat in the first game of their second series against the undefeated Selangor Red Giants, effectively dashing their hopes of advancing to the knockouts.
Despite their stature as four-time MPL champions and the defending MSC titleholders, the pressure of defending their crown did not weigh heavily on the Sky Kings.
Miranda also acknowledged their demanding schedule this year, reflecting on the need for better preparation moving forward.
“Actually, yes, we are the defending champions, but we didn’t really think about it. I think if we always think about it, we just give pressure to ourselves,” he opined.
“We just play every tournament, every game, give our best. It’s just we lost, no excuses.
“There’s no pressure, actually. Just this year our tournaments are very tight. So many tournaments, we don’t have any rest, and I think we just need to prepare more for next time,” he added.
After their unexpected exit, Fnatic ONIC Analyst Adi “Adi” Asyauri looked ahead, advocating for a fresh perspective and new goals to propel the team forward.
“For us to improve for our next tournament, we just need new vibes, new goals, because we have already been together for two years and we just need to set another goal for the team,” Adi said.
