Tictac, ECHO face huge challenge

Pressure is starting to creep in for ECHO head coach Archie “Tictac” Reyes as he rallies a familiar roster to win the ongoing Mobile Legends Professional League PH Season 13.

Tictac said winning the title will not be easy as they have to start the season without a key member of the team in coach Robert “Trebor” Sanchez, who transferred to the defending champion AP Bren.

Touted as the brain behind ECHO, Trebor was often credited for the team’s epic drafts and gutsy plays.

“Coach Trebor is a huge help to us. He makes our drafts so all the heroes we play are his idea. Even the Valir pick, that came from him. He is crucial to us,” Tictac said when they won the MPL Season 11 championship.

ECHO country manager Mitch Liwanag said winning the Season 13 title will be very challenging without Trebor.

“Coach Tictac and Coach Trebor are a combination. Tictac is the muscle of the team while Trebor is the brain. I can say that the coaching staff will not be complete without them,” she said.

ECHO, the MPL PH Season 11 champion and M4 world champion, ended its Season 12 campaign at third place that barred it from defending its M5 world title.

Parading the same Season 12 roster of Karl “KarlTzy” Nepomuceno, Frederic “Bennyqt” Gonzales, Sanford “Sanford” Vinuya, Alston “Sanji” Pabico and Jaypee “Jaypee” dela Cruz, ECHO will attempt to go for the title anew in Season 13.

Tictac said with Trebor no longer around, the players have to work doubly hard to win the title.

“I am not pure muscle anymore. I am with the players, they are now the brains and I guide them,” Tictac said.

The world champion coach said the task at hand is getting his players mentally ready for what would be a taxing season.

“They (players) have to get in the right mindset,” Tictac said.

“I have always said that this is going to be our redemption season. So many things happened last season so these players are eager to come back and redeem themselves. The pressure will not go away. It is just here.”