EVEN sans the “Major” label for the upcoming Galaxy Battles II: Emerging Worlds DotA 2 (Defense of the Ancients) tournament here in the country, two top and popular teams have expressed their excitement and commitment to compete in it.
In successive announcements last week, globally renowned DotA 2 team Red Bull OG and top Philippine team TNC Pro Team said they are ready to compete in Galaxy Battles II happening at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan, from Jan. 19 to 21.
This is despite the decision by Valve Corp., the parent company and developer of DotA 2, to rescind the “Major” label on the tournament over what it considers as “unreasonable infringements on the privacy of the players.”
Along with the withdrawal of Valve also went the Pro Circuit points that would have been available, prompting some teams to withdraw from the tournament.
“There’s been a lot of development recently regarding Galaxy Battles. I am happy to say that we will be attending Galaxy Battles. We as a team felt like we owe it to the fans to go there, including those who have purchased tickets. We love the Philippines, we love the fans. We want to play and we want show you good DotA. We’re coming and we hope to see you guys there!” said Tal “Fly” Aizik, co-founder and captain of Red Bull OG, in a video post on Red Bull’s Esports’ Facebook page.
The team came together in 2015 and has collected four official DotA 2 Major Championships, including the Manila Majors at the Mall of Asia Arena in 2016. In 2017 alone, Red Bull OG garnered a combined prize pool of $1.84 million.
On the part of TNC, that the event is happening here in the Philippines, it was important for them to go out and compete in it.
“For us, it’s an honor to play for the Filipinos. Despite not being a Major, it’s always been a wish to play in front of a Filipino crowd. It’s the best crowd ever!” said Jim Paulo Sy, team manager of TNC Pro.
He went on to share that he is happy with how far TNC Pro Team has come since being created in 2015 by TNC Cyber Café.
Driven by hard work and motivated by success, the TNC Pro Team grew to become one of the most popular teams in the world of competitive DoTA.
Over the course of 2017 alone, the team generated an estimated $1.52 million in prize pool money.
Galaxy Battles II: Emerging Worlds is organized by Fallout Gaming and Purpose Win Entertainment Limited. Tickets for it are available at all SM Ticketworld outlets nationwide. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo
