The concept of “tilt” should not be new to gamers familiar with competitive card games. The term is used in games like Poker, Hearthstone and Magic: the Gathering to describe a negative mental state. It has since carried over to other games to describe a player or team that’s doing poorly as a result of past match-ups or during a losing streak in a long series.

In the simplest ways, to “tilt” means being in a state of mental confusion or anguish that results in poor play, poor decision-making and poor performance. Quite often, tilted players and teams become over-aggressive, often adopting flashy moves and taking unnecessary risks.

In Filipino terms, think of tilt as gigil. Everyone who has played a popular eSports title, such as Dota 2, has felt gigil at least once in their playing careers, if not on a daily basis. Picture yourself getting harassed by an enemy Bounty Hunter repeatedly, over and over in the laning phase, and you might just find yourself thinking, “I don’t care what happens next, I’m going to dive the Bounty Hunter and Finger of Death him even if it’s 1 v 3.”

That’s tilt. That’s gigil. And for the longest time, that has been Mineski’s biggest enemy and the number one reason that has kept them away from experiencing much more success with their current roster. It’s become such a problem that Mineski in the past has become synonymous with throwing large leads once they start to go on tilt.

Today, we take a look at what came together to help Mineski shrug off their boogeyman. There won’t be in-depth statistical breakdowns nor dissections of strategies today. For as Mineski has shown that they have what it takes to win, the more it becomes apparent that their problems have never been about skill or strategies. Their problems have always been themselves.

Their best in years

In an interview with Mineski.net, Mineski coach Anthony “scantzor” Hodgson said that their team, despite losing to Execration multiple times in the past months, have always felt confident when matching up against the Cavite-based Dota 2 squad.

“Believe it or not, we were really confident against Execration,” scantzor tells Mineski.net’s Julius Tabios. “Even if we lost to them 3-0 recently I really believed we are the better team. The boys are really skilled players but their one problem is mental fortitude which has been our bane for sometime now.”

And it’s not difficult to see why. Just on sheer personal and individual capability, Mineski boasts their strongest line-up in years. The acquisition of Galvin “Meracle” Kang Jian Wen was a big deal to them for several reasons:

1. Meracle- was one of the first few pioneers of the Naga Siren creep-skipping style to delay pushes. While Radiance on Illusion heroes have been around since Dota 1, their specific use to defend against pushes were not thoroughly explored.
2. Meracle- has long since been hailed as one of the best rising talents in SEA. In 2013, Meracle- played for RisingStars in China, a team that Chinese star carry Sylar left.
3. Meracle-, on an underpowered Titan team in 2013, took games off two of the best teams in Dota 2 at the time, Team DK and Speed Gaming. Both DK and Speed Gaming would later go on MLG Columbus, their rosters by then forming the basis of some of the best career streaks in Dota.

On top of that, they are bolstered in support by Julius “Julz” de Leon. Julz was part of the first Mineski team in 2011 to be a part of the The International. For years, Julz has served as captain, carry and support on various teams, including multiple MPGL Class-S squads like Click ‘N Search and MSI.

With a line-up like that, it’s a wonder why it has taken this Mineski squad this long to achieve success. Their win against Execration (a grueling 2-1 series that pushed both teams to their limits) was symptomatic: they have the star power, but it is only when they are mentally at peace can they overcome some of the best in the region, let alone the world.

But knowing who else is on the team, the answer of “they just have to be more calm/tilt less/be more disciplined” becomes unsatisfactory.

Bimbo and Boogie

It’s no secret that Ryan Jay “Bimbo/RagingPotato” Qui is one of the most talented players the Philippines has ever produced.

For what seems like forever now, Bimbo has dominated midlaners and carries in the Philippines. Starting from the age of 13, Bimbo has produced highlight reel after highlight reel of his impressive play in local circuits and international events.

And it doesn’t just extend to midlaning and carry play either. Bimbo’s skill has covered a wide range of the game to produce a truly impressive player. Just take a look at this clip from his early days, back when he played under the name “Jay”.

We could go into the nitty-gritty of his play, or his stats, or his seasons of success. To date, he has played six of his professional years for Mineski and has won a string of minor tournaments in and around Southeast Asia, has appeared in the Frankfurt Major and Manila Major, and has appeared in Starladder under Execration.

Since his entrance into the scene, Bimbo and any team he’s a part of, has been a constant threat in regional qualifiers.

There’s no denying his talent. But even in his own words, the one thing Bimbo hasn’t done yet is prove himself by winning a major title. A big event. The one validation that counts for fans.

Their support player, Michael “Nb” Ross, is on a parallel plane with Bimbo. Nb has played for multiple international teams, fitting the role of support, carry and everything else in between in his storied career.

While he is best known for his time on Rave-Dota, Nb has also experienced success playing for Singaporean teams. Hailing from Duskbin’s Heroes of Newerth team before moving to their Dota 2 team, Nb has played with Neolution.Int, Insidious, and has stood in for Western teams. He’s a proven player with skills that can rival most active Filipino roles in most positions, though he’s best known for support Lion play.

Both players are stars in their own rights. Both have been monumental assets on their team. And yet, both have yet to taste that one major LAN victory. Both however, also share an important weakness: both tilt incredibly and in the process the assurance of victory is pulled further away from them when they do so.

Before we continue, let’s make one thing clear: this is not an attack on either player. That both of these star players tilt is not an indictment of their flaws but rather an honest assessment of them as players. They are stars, and they also tilt. Merely statements of fact.

And this tilt, this pang-gigigil, has been the constant thorn in their side. On paper, Mineski has the most amount of stars in their team than any other team in the Philippines. Execration may have Dj, but Abed is a young carry who’s still filling out his experience. Gabbi, their other core/carry, is even more inexperienced.

Mineski might not be able to match Dj (debatable) skill-wise in a 1 on 1, but collectively they can simply overpower any other team.

And yet they have kept losing and only now overcome their nemeses.

Here’s scantzor again in that Mineski interview:

“…When ninjaboogie or anyone from the team ’tilts’ they become toxic against each other and really isn’t a winning formula. We’ve been really working at it because I know the lads are really good individually.”

Enabling star players

Let’s pull back for a minute and attempt to understand the mentality of a star.

Sometimes, in the course of seeking perfection, in the course of becoming the best, character flaws erupt. Place those who seek perfection in a pressure situation like a competition, and it becomes magnified. Tilt starts to affect not only your play, but also your team. It starts to affects rosters. Egos clash.

This is where tilt is deadliest. The players with the most skill — those who have consistently played at a high-level — are the most prone to tilt. They are the most prone to “toxic behavior”. After all, their ruthless mentality to be the best is second-nature to them, but it may not be to others. When they screw up, they are hard on themselves. And when they apply the same pressure to teammates to screw up, it might not have the same effect. Some people fall apart under harsh criticism. Other people shutdown when they perceive the team around them to not be of their standards.

But just why should special concessions be placed for stars? Simply put: stars are hard on themselves, and are prone to the good and bad effects of that pressure because they are the most motivated to win. On a single person or player comparison, stars produce more for your team than the average player.

Compare the impact on victories given out by famous egos such as Kobe Bryant or Michael Jordan. They may come off to others as brash, sometimes even hard-to-like human beings to their teammates, but their desire to win is their. Their killer instinct is what drags teams across the finish line when nothing else can. They can have negative effects on their teams, like Kobe and Shaq’s eventual fallout.

In the end, just as you have to work well with those around you, you also have to make sure that the egos — those who are most likely to tilt — are taken cared of. After all, what is a team but a collection of egos to be managed?

While I am not trying to excuse or justify bad behavior, I am trying to convey a simple truth: When you’re in a team, you need everyone to perform. That means managing the egos of stars like Bimbo and Nb and also making sure that the overall group dynamic moves towards a common goal: winning.

And this here is where Mineski needs to exert more effort. To continue investing in making sure that their star players continue to be productive. To manage egos.

To that end, the inclusion of Scantzor into the team has been something I have been a fan of but have not yet written about. The organization and scantzor himself must be commended. They realized what they had in their hands and employed the right steps to bring out the potential of the team.

But from the results so far, it seems that scantzor has job cut out for him…and at the same his job is the easiest in the world.

For an analyst turned coach like Scantzor, Mineski has to be a dream scenario: a team that already has the base-level of skill to do great things. What needs to happen now is for the team to come together to make sure that habits are formed around making sure their mental game is on point. I even expect Mineski to be the first Filipino team to invest in more support staff and not just coaching. Maybe a conflict resolution trainer or a life-coach, like those available to other big name teams in League of Legends.

Whatever Mineski does next, one thing is clear: if they want continue their victories, if they want MPGL to be the first of many “Ws” under their belt, then they need to invest more into the support staff around the team. They need to make sure egos are sufficiently managed and that the best is brought out of every player.

Mineski already has the star players. They already have the clay, they just need to mold it.

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