“Di ka mapapakain ng pagdo-DoTA mo!” is what a lot of young Filipinos hear when being criticized for playing too much of the world-famous videogame. It directly translates to “playing DoTA won’t feed you”, which is almost always said in a tone of disappointment. But with the cash prize from the recent World Electronic Sports Games (WESG) 2016, these Filipino gamers would be able to stuff their stomachs for a very long time.
For those of you that aren’t familiar with the game, DoTA 2 is a Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) game that revolves around players levelling up their heroes to decimate the opposing team. It takes a lot of skill to master the game and it also takes time and dedication to be able to compete professionally in it.
Team TnC. Source: Gosugamers
Team TnC Pro stood above the rest when they bagged the championship for DoTA 2. The team reportedly won 800,000 USD (approx. 40 million PHP) with their amazing performance in the said category. People got to the edge of their seats as the team played against Cloud9 in the final leg of the tournament. TnC managed to win flawlessly in their first match but was obliterated by Cloud9 in the second game. It was all settled in the epic third when Marc Polo ‘Raven’ Luis Fausto, their ‘carry’, helped lead his team into total victory. Although the team was behind in terms of Net Worth, they still manage to pull through in the end.
Another interesting highlight of the event was when Euneil “Staz” Javiñas won the championship for Hearthstone. He alone won $150,000 after besting his opponent Orange in the final leg of the matchups. Hearthstone is a Collectible Card Game (CCG) published by Blizzard Entertainment that has gained massive popularity in the past few years. Staz’s win added more prestige for the Filipino gaming community as both parties were able to take home the gold for their country.
Euneil ‘Staz’ Javinas. Source: WESG
Although there are some people who think that these Filipino gamers still do not compare to the big leagues, WESG is not an event for amateurs. Many household names in the sport were not active in this tournament but TnC and Staz still had to face some very worthy opponents to get to the top. The year has just started and we’re hoping to see more achievements from these aspiring young gamers.
Article Sources:
