The gaming and esports industry in Southeast Asia (SEA) had unprecedented growth in the last few years, and the Philippines has always been at the forefront of this success. With Filipinos always ranking at the top of player bases for the most popular esports titles in the world, the potential to be one of the key players in the SEA region is ever-present.
Last year the Philippines finally proved that it is ready to claim its regional throne after dominating the 2019 Southeast Asian Games (SEAG), a biennial multi-sport event involving participants from the current 11 countries of SEA, winning three gold medals, one silver, and one bronze to be declared the overall champion of the competition.
To keep the momentum going for Southeast Asia’s flourishing esports community, NetEase Games recently launched one of the biggest regional tournaments in the region, Top Clans 2020. With a total prize pool of USD 85,000 and four new game titles, Top Clans 2020 is shaping up to be the premier Southeast Asian multi-game esports tournament. This competition reaffirms NetEase Games’ vision to foster a vibrant gaming community and uphold the thriving esports industry.
IPT SUIT UP FOR MARVEL SUPER WAR
One of the most prestigious esports organizations in the Philippines at one point, Imperium Pro Team (IPT) has slowly eased out of the limelight in recent years after letting their teams one by one. It wasn’t until recently that they’ve been quickly regaining their lost glory, thanks in no small part to IPT’s MARVEL Super War squad. Composed of League of Legends veterans who decided to rekindle their career in the mobile gaming space, IPT MSW has been dominating the local tournaments since the release of the game.
“We were surprised at how easy the game is for us and after recruiting former teammates, we destroyed the solo queue in our first week and won the first official MSW tournament in PH (MESA First Blood) and the rest is history.”
Roybie ‘xLight’ Segovia exudes confidence especially now that they’re the undisputed number one team in the Philippines for MSW, but the last few years hasn’t been easy for him in esports. He suffered a wrist injury back in 2017 that hampered his skills and eventually robbed him of his prime. “I kept hidden but eventually told my boss. We had it checked but a surgery at the time was a big detour for me as I have no other means of putting food on the table other than gaming professionally,” said xLight, IPT MSW’s mid laner.
xLight is thankful for the resurgence of his esports career and the opportunity to continue chasing his passion for gaming. But he knows winning local tournaments isn’t enough, they still need to prove themselves in the international stage. IPT will get that chance in Top Clans 2020 against the best of the best in Southeast Asia.
“I've always been competitive in anything related to my craft be it against anyone. As long as I can play competitively at a high level, as long as I'm not detrimental to my team's success I won't quit.”
NRX AMAZONS SEEK TO PROVE THEIR WORTH IN RULES OF SURVIVAL
NRX Amazons elevated the status of all-female teams in the ROS community by proving their skills against the best teams in PH
For Patricia ‘Dusk’ Antido and the rest of NRX Gaming Amazons, the road to becoming one of the best Rules of Survival (ROS) teams in the Philippines was exceptionally tough as an all-female team. Up until recently it wasn’t common in esports for an all-female team to compete in regular tournaments. They were usually segregated to their own tournament open only to female players because of the fear that skill disparity between men and women in esports is still large.
“There were so many obstacles that we had to overcome just because we are an all-female team. Some said we didn’t deserve the spot and some said we’re just girls and we will be doing nothing on this platform. But we used this as an inspiration for us to push harder beyond our limits and motivate us to practice, and grind harder than any other teams out there who will try to bring us down.”
As an avid gamer turned esports athlete, Dusk is vocal about appreciation for NetEase and Rules of Survival for giving her an opportunity to showcase her skills and talents in gaming. It wasn’t a smooth journey having to constantly be doubted by the people around you or be criticized for trying to chase her esports dream, but ROS gave her a platform and she knows this is an opportunity she can’t afford to pass up. “Honestly, I have been with Rules of Survival for years now. They never fail to amaze me with the efforts of them stabilizing the growth of esports and pro-plays in the community. Netease’s effort to promote pro-league and pro-plays is amazing.” added Dusk.
What better way to prove they belong than by facing the best teams in the region. Dusk and her teammates know that the upcoming Top Clans 2020 is their golden opportunity to prove to the rest of the community that NRX Amazons are ready for the big leagues.
“Top Clans 2020 is the dream stage for all of us and it’ll be a dream come true. This tournament will be one of the most unforgettable competitions we will ever be in, and this will be one of an achieved bucket list for us NRX Gaming.”
ADROIT ESPORTS IS READY TO DEFEND THE THRONE
After a successful stint at the 2019 SEA Games, Adroit Esports is hungry for recognition in the DOTA 2 scene.
No one can argue that DOTA 2 is where the Philippines has been the most successful in esports. TNC and Mineski made us proud and the SEA region as a whole during their multiple runs in The International, DOTA 2’s biggest annual tournament. Today, new teams such as Team Adroit and Neon Esports are continuously rising, prime and ready to challenge the kings of SEA and make their mark in the international stage.
It has never been easy for any esports teams to achieve success, certainly not for Mc Nicholson ‘Mac’ Villanueva and Adroit Esports. The once obscure squad from Cebu has racked up important wins regionally, and everyone is starting to notice. But their rise in the DOTA 2 scene was a by-product of years of training and practice. The unfathomable sacrifice Mac and his teammates had to make also served as their motivation to work hard in order to reach their dreams as esports athletes.
Mac is no stranger to the big stage, having represented the Philippines last year in the 2019 SEA Games and winning a gold medal in the DOTA 2 discipline with Team Sibol. Mac has high hopes for the SEA esports scene and he’s excited to represent his country against the best teams in SEA. If there’s one thing Mac wants to instill to young gamers aspiring to become an esports athlete like him, it’s discipline.
“Discipline among players and as a team. The SEA competitive scene has been very competitive during the online tournaments, a lot of teams have been very creative and if we can keep the discipline on it then it would be a big leap.”
Catch Adroit Esports, NRX Amazons, and Imperium Pro team as they compete in Top Clans 2020, see Top Clans 2020: Match Schedules and Livestream Channels. Game titles who joined Rules of Survival in the roster are popular games including DOTA 2, MARVEL Super War, TEKKEN 7, and NetEase’s newly released game, Tom and Jerry: Chase. Powered by NetEase Games, Top Clans 2020 is one of the biggest esports tournaments of the year, with extravagant prize pools, multiple game titles, and a prestigious production value, in a full play-at-home, online format.
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