Flap, Kyle drop 'Tzy' to chart new paths in MPL Philippines
MANILA, Philippines — In esports, an in-game name or IGN often carries more than a moniker, it carries the legacy of a player. For the upcoming season of the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League (MPL) Philippines, players David “Flap” Canon and Michael “Kyle” Sayson, formerly known as FlapTzy and KyleTzy, have dropped the “Tzy” suffix in hopes of making a legacy of their own.
The "Tzy" suffix in their IGNs was inspired by Karl "KarlTzy" Nepomuceno, widely considered as the face of MLBB and whose own IGN was inspired by Dota2 player Artour "Arteezy" Babaev, who was part of the Dota2 roster of Evil Geniuses when they won The Manila Masters held at the SM Mall of Asia Arena back in 2017.
Canon and Nepomuceno were teammates and had delivered the country's first M-Series trophy when their former team, Bren Esports, won the M2 World Championship back in 2021.
Hoping to step away from the shadow of his former teammate, Canon hopes to build his own legacy.
"Parang may nagsabi lang din sa amin na ano, parang challenge na what if tanggalin namin ‘yung Tzy para magkaroon kami ng sariling legacy na pangalan talaga namin? Na hindi nabi-bring up ‘yung ibang pangalan like kung san nanggaling ‘yung Tzy namin, kay Karl, ayun para sa akin nung sinasabi sa akin ‘yun, parang ‘oo nga ‘no’. Parang ‘why not?’ Gawa ako ng sarili kong path na kapag sinabing Flap, ako lang talaga. Walang ibang madadamay,” Canon told members of the media.
Sayson echoed the sentiment, having created his IGN with Nepomuceno in mind.
“Nung unang pasok ko dito sa MPL, idol ko na si Kyle. Nag-Tzy na agad ako,” said Sayson, who along with Canon won the M5 World Championship back in 2023 and has started to build his own reputation.
He added, "Nagkakaroon na ako ng mga sariling champion, tapos sariling pangalan. Gusto ko na rin gumawa ng sarili kong legacy. Kumbaga hindi na ako nababanggit sa mga interview ni Karl, or kapag iniinterview ako laging nababanggit si Karl."
Beyond professional reasons, Sayson’s new IGN carries personal meaning. It honors his grandmother, who passed away recently and was the one who gave him the nickname “Kyle,” despite his real name being Michael.
"Siya ‘yung nagbigay ng pangalan ko na Kyle. Actually, my real name talaga is Michael. Parang ang kwento niyan kung bakit ako binigyan ng Kyle na pangalan ng lola ko is ayaw niya dun sa Michael. So parang naging palayaw ko ‘yung Kyle,” shared Sayson.
MPL Philippines returns with its 17th season on March 20.
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