Toshi’s journey to Honor of Kings is his redemption

PLAYERS WILL COME and soon their glory days will finally fade away and that is the reality experienced by former professional MPL player Adrian “Toshi” Bacallo.

At one point in his career, Toshi was one of those rising stars who managed to play a key role in Smart Omega’s journey towards the M2 World Championship.

But now he seems to be one of those forgotten MPL players now that Toshi has finally disappeared.

Looking back on his MPL career, Toshi was filled with regret.

“Sa ML parang sinayang ko ‘yung meron ako no’n tapos ngayon.”

At one point, he considered abandoning his e-sports journey and continued his education by studying criminology in Tarlac. But when doors close, new ones open as Toshi found a new beginning by joining the Honor of Kings.

“Oo na-try ko na ‘yung parang hindi ko na kayang maging e-sportsman, parang lock na ako. Nagaaral na ako no’n eh, then you can hug langit na sabi manager namin dati, if you want, try “yung larong “do”. Binigay is similar to the “young HoK action plan”.

For him it was a time of redemption.

“Sumugal ako, why not give it another chance. Kasi may regret not getting this game.”

“Sinasabi ko ‘yung regrets that he learned something that is similar to height. Tinulungan regrets that kung nasaan ako ngayon. Kung wala ‘yun, wala ako dito sa harapan niyo,’ he thought.

“For good na ako sa HoK kasi parang redemption arc ko na ‘to sa HoK…Dati parang hindi ako everything in career ko, parang pinabayaan ko. Ngayon mas all in ako. Ibang Toshi na.”

PHOTO: Toshi

Toshi once again competes on the world stage

Ultimately, Toshi’s move to HOK led to him joining Indonesian team Dominator Esports, where he won the local qualifier. Now he is competing on the world stage again, albeit in a different game.

However, his experience is something new for him, as Toshi is playing with foreign players for the first time in his career. For many professional gamers, taking their talents abroad can be a daunting experience, given the typical language and culture issues.

How are things going on Toshi’s end?

‘Hindi (ako nag-aral ng Bahasa), English naman ‘yung communication namin kahit basic English lang. ‘Yung bonding and chemistry talaga namin ‘yung hindi nawawala. Parang lahat kami synchronization, team player everything, no attitude, no problems, kaya nanalo kami.”

“In two months, pa lang kaming magkakasama, top 10 pa rin kami,” he repeated.

And speaking about his experience playing abroad, Toshi put things into perspective.

“First time ko in Indonesia and playing abroad. Great naman siya. I met a lot of people, nakakasundo ko naman ‘yung ugali nila. Hindi naman siya mahirap mag-just. It all depends on your mindset,” Toshi revealed.

However, there are things from home that he really misses.

“Na-miss ko ‘yung Pilipinas lalo na walang Jollibee dito. Wala ring sauce. Miss ko na rin ‘yung family ko syempre first time kong nag-import dito, homesickness talaga ako.”

Hadji cheers on Toshi on his new journey

When Toshi arrived at HOK and overcame the hardships of playing abroad, he was supported by his former MPL teammates. Even though they have been gone for a long time, they believe that Toshi has what it takes to succeed.

“You can get feedback from tropa ko in ML, give information in a ko kasi kaya ko pa pala mag-pro way in games on ‘to. Naniniwala pa rin sila na kaya ko, na kaya ko pa maglaro,” he began.

Seeing them pat him on the back and encourage him to continue was motivation for the former Omega fighter. Among those who pushed him forward was Imam Salic “Hadji” of Blacklist International. Both Toshi and Hadji were once part of the Omega team that reached the M2 world stage.

“Yung passion ko bumalik, “yung grind ko i ayun nga, nag-all in Talaga ako sa laro for “to.” ‘Yung ko friends are very supportive naman sila sa decision na magpatuloy sa HoK and lalo na ‘yung mga former teammates ko na sila Hadji sabi sa akin ni Hadji na proud siya sa akin kasi nandito na ako ngayon and nakikita niya akong naglalaro.

Toshi hopes to make them proud by winning the World Championships in Indonesia.

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