Bennyqt regrets TNC’s early MPL PH exit

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Bennyqt regrets TNC’s early MPL PH exit image

Photo: MPL

By Tiffany Dela Cruz

The fall came earlier than the TNC expected, and far heavier than how their story began last season.

From a team that once stood on the doorstep of a grand finals appearance, they have now become the first squad eliminated in the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League (MPL) Philippines Season 17.

What makes the collapse harder to swallow is how close they once were.

Just a split ago, TNC was one of the league’s most dangerous dark horses, finishing third and almost crashing into the grand finals. That run was powered by discipline, chemistry, and a system where every player accepted a defined role.

Photo: MPL

At the heart of that identity was gold laner Benedict “Bennyqt” Gonzales, who thrived not as the spotlight-carrying star, but as a role player willing to sacrifice for the team’s structure. It was a version of himself that fit perfectly into TNC’s deep playoff push.

But this season told a different story. The meta shifted, and so did the demands placed on the gold lane—no longer just a support pillar of damage, but the primary win condition, expected to hard carry games from the early stages.

For Bennyqt, the adjustment never fully clicked in time. And for TNC, that hesitation snowballed into a season-long struggle, one that now reads in the standings as 2-11.

Photo: MPL

“Regrets this season? Maybe the part where last season I really became what you could call a role player, which was what we saw as best for the team. So for me, I preferred that—being in whatever role is best for the team,” Bennyqt said.

He reflected on how the sudden shift in the meta and role expectations caught them off guard, ultimately throwing off his rhythm and forcing an adjustment he couldn’t fully settle into in time.

“Now the meta shifted to gold laners needing to be hard carries, and I guess my regret is I wasn’t able to adjust quickly. I wasn’t able to shift my mindset right away because I realized carrying games isn’t just about mastery—it’s also about mindset.”

For a team that once found comfort in system play, the season became a slow unraveling of identity—each loss reinforcing the same truth: comfort and familiarity were no longer enough in a league that evolves every patch, every series.

Still, even in the wreckage of a disappointing campaign, there remains a flicker of resolve in Bennyqt’s voice, a refusal to let this version of the story be the last.

“What’s next? I still don’t really know. But I can promise that wherever I end up, I will definitely still play—and I’m absolutely determined, really eager, to bounce back.”

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