Fnatic ONIC exp laner Kirk gears up for future after winning in M6

At 18 years old, Jann "Kirk" Gutierrez knows that there's life beyond and outside the Land of Dawn. 

The youthful exp laner for Fnatic ONIC Philippines said he is already preparing for his future even after collecting a huge amount of cash prizes after they ruled the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang M6 World Championship in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 

Part of this is Kirk hoping to return to his schooling that was interrupted by his decision to enter the professional scene, as well as saving up his earnings from the world tournament. 

"‘Yung ngayon hindi ko na natuloy ‘yung studies ko pero ita-try ko na ituloy after nito," Kirk told GMA News Online. 

"Na-stop ako sa Grade 10. Ngayon, ‘di ko pa alam kung ano gusto kong i-pursue after e. Siguro ‘pag tumagal-tagal na. ['Yung mapapanalunan ko dito sa M6] sa ngayon itatabi ko sa savings ko."

Kirk rose from being a reserve player to being one of the best exp laners in the world.

He started out his career as a substitute player for RSG Philippines when he was just 16 before renowned esports personality Naser "Dogie" Mollazehihe discovered him in ranked games, prompting his entry to Minana EVOS. 

Minana EVOS, though, disbanded and released all of its players ahead of MPL Season 14. Kirk then found his way to Fnatic ONIC when head coach Tony "Ynot" Senedrin asked if he could attend their tryouts as the team looked to make waves in the local league after years of coming up short. 

Without any hesitations, Kirk showed his skills to Fnatic ONIC as he already knew how good his teammates are. 

With Kirk in the roster, Fnatic ONIC was able to nearly sweep MPL Season 14 en route to the franchise's first-ever title after they outlasted Aurora in the grand finals. They went on going unscathed in M6 before hoisting the country's fifth straight world title. 

"Cinontact ako ni coach kung gusto ko raw mag-try out tapos ayon sinubukan ko and ayon nakuha naman ako," Kirk recalled.

"Para sa akin wala ng alinlangan kasi kilala ko ‘yung tatlong magiging kakampi ko na magagaling, si Kelra, si K1NGKONG, tsala si Frince. ‘Pag napapanood ko sila alam kong magaling sila."

—JKC, GMA Integrated News