“The First Moment” Belongs to Them: Twisted Minds PH’s Late Bloom and Bold Belief
Photo from MPL Philippines / Richard Esguerra
“The First Moment” Belongs to Them: Twisted Minds PH’s Late Bloom and Bold Belief
MAKATI — Twisted Minds PH didn’t make the cleanest entrance into MPL Philippines Season 15 — but maybe, just like TWS, their moment was never about a perfect debut. With a roster built from the remnants of a championship legacy and the uncertainty of transition, expectations were cautious, even skeptical.
Yet somehow, they found their beat when it mattered most.
A thrilling second-half push, fueled by a surge of confidence and timely victories, saw them grab the final playoff ticket in dramatic fashion — on the very first day of the final week.
It’s a familiar rhythm for Coach Kristoffer Ed “BON CHAN” Ricaplaza. Just like last season, his team rose from the bottom, pulling off a sprint to sixth place with grit and adjustments. This time, under a new name, and with only half of the old squad intact, they’re ready to rewrite the script once more — a true plot twist.
Plot Twist: When No One Expected, They Wrote a New Ending
To say Twisted Minds PH had a rough start would be generous.
After five weeks and nine matches, they sat at the bottom with a single win — a hard-fought three-game triumph over AP.Bren. In those games, it was Michael “MP The King” Endino’s Alice, drafted in all three, that sparked their only bright moment in what looked like an identity crisis.
Despite having veterans like BON CHAN, MP The King, Salic “Hadji” Imam, and Mark Jayson “ESON” Gerardo, the team’s side lanes struggled against their contemporaries. Late-game execution issues compounded their problems, often letting winnable games slip away.
BON CHAN’s signature rotation strategy — playing everyone in the roster — came into play. Stephen “Sensui” Castillo and Jamaloding “Jamal” Dimati were fielded across a combined eight games, but unfortunately, the experimentation didn’t yield wins.
Still, Week 6 gave them life. A crucial victory over TNC Pro Team put them back in the mix, and by the end of the week, a win over AP.Bren and the Bees’ elimination of Smart Omega gave Twisted Minds the final spot in the postseason — a repeat of last season’s miracle run.
MP The King’s Crown, Outplayed’s Outburst
No one embodies Twisted Minds’ identity more than MP The King.
In his second season back from overseas, the veteran jungler quietly put up strong numbers:
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2.71 kills / 2.06 deaths / 4.19 assists per game
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3.34 KDA average across 31 games
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71.57% kill participation, plus the highest gold per minute on the team
His four-game stint with Alice was especially standout — 21 kills, nine deaths, and 37 assists — making her a permanent threat on the draft board.
Beside him, Jhonville “Outplayed” Villar came alive late in the season, putting up solid production (3.23/1.77/3.68) and ranking tenth across the league in damage dealt per gold (4.39) — a metric that shows how efficiently he uses farm.
A Familiar Underdog Tune, A Different Chorus This Time
Once again, BON CHAN finds himself with the sixth seed — and once again, the road begins with a powerhouse. But unlike Season 14 Blacklist, who met an overperforming Omega, Twisted Minds PH must now challenge defending champions and third seed ONIC Philippines.
The odds will be heavily stacked. But anyone who’s watched this team knows better than to count them out. And with the meta shifting in the playoffs, the right draft or surprise pick could throw a wrench into even the most polished machine.
Like TWS’ debut EP, Twisted Minds PH may not have hit the loudest note at the start — but now, they’re ready for their first moment. And just maybe, they’ve got one more plot twist in store.
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