Yawi (gamer)
Filipino professional esports player (born 2001)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tristan Cabrera (born c. 2001), professionally known as Yawi, is a Filipino professional esports player.[1] He competes in Honor of Kings for WeTrnd Esports.[2] He is best known for his career in Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB), where he won the M4 World Championship with ECHO and the MPL Indonesia Season 14 title with Team Liquid ID.[3]
| Yawi | |
|---|---|
| Current team | |
| Team | WeTrnd Esports |
| Role | Roamer |
| Game(s) | Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Honor of Kings |
| Personal information | |
| Born | Tristan Cabrera Philippines |
Early life and education
Tristan Cabrera attended the University of Santo Tomas (UST) for high school, where he played for the school's varsity basketball team.[4][5] He later attended Mapúa University for his senior high school studies while balancing his esports career.[6] His mother supported his career, often bringing him food and clothes during bootcamps.[5] Cabrera stated that he had to miss family events, such as his brother's graduation, to attend practice scrimmages.[6]
Career
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
Nexplay Esports
Cabrera began his professional career with Nexplay Esports (later Nexplay EVOS).[7] He formed a trio known as the "Big Three" alongside teammates John Paul "H2wo" Salonga and Renejay "Renejay" Barcarse.[8] In MPL Philippines Season 8, he recorded 262 assists, 38 kills, and 161 deaths.[7] Cabrera left the team in December 2021.[9]
ECHO
In late 2021, Cabrera joined ECHO for MPL Philippines Season 9.[10] In Season 10, he helped the team reach the grand finals, securing a spot in the M4 World Championship.[5]
In January 2023, Cabrera won the M4 World Championship in Jakarta.[11] He was benched for the team's opening match against RRQ Hoshi but returned to the lineup to defeat Blacklist International 4–0 in the finals.[12][13][14] Following the world title, ECHO won the MPL Philippines Season 11 championship in May 2023.[15]
During MPL Philippines Season 12, Cabrera saw limited playing time and was replaced in the starting lineup by Jaypee "Jaypee" Dela Cruz.[16] The team's coaching staff stated that Jaypee offered a playstyle that was less risky than Cabrera's aggressive mechanics.[17][18] Cabrera officially parted ways with ECHO in January 2024.[12]
Team Liquid ID
In February 2024, Cabrera moved to Indonesia to join Aura Fire (later rebranded as Team Liquid ID).[19][20] He was the first Filipino import to play for the Aura franchise.[19][21] Cabrera noted that he focused on teaching his new teammates "discipline" regarding in-game objectives.[22]
In October 2024, Cabrera won his second MPL title when Team Liquid ID defeated RRQ Hoshi 4–3 in the MPL Indonesia Season 14 Grand Finals.[3] A crucial "Lord steal" at the 13:16 mark of the deciding Game 7 contributed to the victory.[3] He left the team in late November 2024.[23]
TNC Pro Team
Cabrera returned to the Philippines in November 2024 to join TNC Pro Team.[24][25] The move reunited him with his former mentor Setsuna "Dogie" Ignacio.[26] With Cabrera, TNC qualified for the playoffs in MPL Philippines Season 15, ending a drought of playoff appearances for the organization.[27] He departed TNC on July 2, 2025.[28]
Honor of Kings
In July 2025, Cabrera transitioned to the game Honor of Kings.[29] He reunited with his former Nexplay teammates Salonga and Barcarse, along with Ignacio, for the move.[30] In August 2025, he joined WeTrnd Esports to compete in the Philippines Kings League (PKL) Fall Season 2025.[2]
Player profile
Cabrera plays the Roamer role and is known for using the hero Chou.[31] He has referred to himself as the "Chou god" due to his high win rate with the character in professional play.[14] In March 2023, he was named the Player of the Week in MPL Philippines Season 11 after recording 5.75 assists and a KDA of 3.10.[31] In May 2023, he stated he worked on his mental and physical conditioning to redeem himself after a playoff loss to RSG Slate.[32]
Personal life
In January 2023, Cabrera was involved in a controversy regarding his relationship with National University volleyball player Jennifer Nierva.[33] The issue surfaced on social media shortly before the M4 World Championship, and ECHO management stated they addressed the matter internally.[33]
During MPL Philippines Season 12, ECHO manager Mitch Liwanag received death threats from fans after the team decided to bench Cabrera.[34] Cabrera later addressed the fans, clarifying there was no internal conflict and asking them to support the team's decisions.[35]