04-08-2025
KarlTzy accepts 'GOAT' status after steering Team Liquid to MSC glory
Karl 'KarlTzy' Nepomuceno has completed his decorated championship resume with the elusive MSC crown — the one title that had long evaded him.
With it, the star jungler has finally embraced the GOAT label after years of sidestepping the conversation and letting his play do the talking as he finally captured the MSC title with Team Liquid Philippines.
Team Liquid bucked a Game 1 hiccup en route to a decisive 4-1 victory over defending champion of Malaysia in the grand finals last Saturday.
"Yes. If I have a lot of people backing me up, saying that I'm the GOAT, I'll agree with them right now," KarlTzy said.
"I'm just really happy and really proud of myself that I became the GOAT."
It has been a long journey for KarlTzy.
He made his MPL debut way back in Season 2 in 2019 under the banner of Finesse Solid and was later selected to be part of the Philippines' gold medal team in the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang debut in the Southeast Asian Games here in Manila.
He was later acquired by Bren Esports, where he helped the team capture the MPL Philippines Season 6 title—a victory that marked the beginning of his meteoric rise.
KarlTzy played a crucial role in Bren's historic title run in the M2 World Championship in 2021, claiming the MVP honors as the Philippines seized its first world title.
Later that year, KarlTzy found his way to Echo Philippines where he initially teamed up with the likes of powerhouse names Tristan 'Yawi' Cabrera, Frediemar '3MarTzy' Serafico, and Ashley Marco "Killuash" Cruz.
Under Team Liquid (formerly Echo) KarlTzy captured three more MPL titles in Season 11, 13, and 15, all while also winning the M4 World Championship crown in early 2023 after they swept Blacklist International in their all-Filipino finals showdown.
MSC was the one trophy that always got away.
KarlTzy and Echo came close to it in the 2023 edition in Cambodia, but the Philippine bets fell to eventual champion Onic Esports of Indonesia during their semifinals bout. Then again in 2024, Team Liquid fell short anew after absorbing a 1-3 loss to compatriot AP. Bren in the semifinals.
This year, they shattered the curse with a flawless title run, putting an end to the Philippines' two-year MSC dry spell.
"Hindi naging madali 'yung run namin dito sa EWC. Nagumpisa kami sa MPL na kumapa kami sa isa't isa. Sobrang dami rin namin naging ups and downs and mga na-ecnounter na problema," Team Liquid head coach Rodel "Ar Sy" Cruz said.
"Pero mas pinili namin labanan 'yun nang magkakasama kami until makuha namin 'yung MPL and now, MSC. Sa lahat ng nangyari sa amin, masasabi ko lang na sobrang proud ako sa sarili ko at sa mga naging players ko."
—JKC, GMA Integrated News
