Kairi says transfer to ONIC 'worth it' after winning his first international title at MSC 2023

A year ago, Kairi "Kairi" Rayosdelsol made a tough decision to leave the Philippines and bring his act to Indonesia, suiting up as an import for powerhouse ONIC Esports in the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League (MPL) there.

Kairi was among the first few Filipino ML:BB players to try their luck abroad and the 17-year-old jungler said moving to Indonesia was all worth it despite the challenges he encountered along the road.

"Sobrang sarap po sa pakiramdam. Naranasan ko pong lumabas sa comfort zone ko na mag-laro sa Pinas," Kairi said after helping ONIC capture the Mobile Legends Southeast Asia Cup (MSC) 2023 title against his compatriots, Philippine team Blacklist International.

"Ang dami pong challenge tapos sobrang nakakapagod, nakaka-stress pero worth it naman po."

("It's such a good feeling. I was able to experience going out of my comfort zone, that is playing in the Philippines... there were a lot of challenges and it's exhausting and stressful, but it's all worth it.")

In his two seasons with the Hedgehogs, Kairi has been nothing short of stellar. He and Filipino coach Denver "Yeb" Miranda towed the club to back-to-back MPL titles in Seasons 10 and 11. Season 10 also saw Kairi bagging both the season and finals MVP plums.

They also made it to two international appearances, competing in the M4 world championship last January and the MSC.

Kairi said he's grateful for a pleasant environment in ONIC, saying it's among the factors that led to their MSC supremacy and their ending the Philippines' dominance in the international scene.

"Sobrang grateful po ako kasi po una napakaganda po ng environment. Parang ‘di nga po kami nagaaway away e. Nagtatalo po kami pero sobrang mild lang. Parang wala kang mafe-feel na pressure kaya ang sarap talaga kapag kakampi sila tapos yung mga coaches, management sobrang sarap po makasama," he shared.

"Outside the game, inside the game, tropa po kaming lahat sobrang close po namin saka yun po, sobrang thankful po ako na napunta ako sa ONIC Esports."

("I'm so grateful because it's a very good environment. We never fight. We disagree sometimes, but it's always mild. You don't really feel pressure so that's why it's really nice to be teammates with them and the coaches, the management are all good to be with... Outside the game, inside the game, we're all friends and we're all close so I'm very thankful that I found my way to ONIC Esports.")

—JMB, GMA Integrated News