Members of Team Polaris went into their final battles feeling disappointed but emerged joyful after they stopped Grindsky, 2-0, in the best-of-three finals series of the Predator League 2022-23 DOTA 2 Philippine Qualifiers Grand Finals on Sunday evening at the Mall of Asia Central Atrium, Pasay City.
The big plays of three members of the Philippine national team lifted the team up, along with a good game plan which allowed them to pull off a 38-22, 48-26 triumph.
Still exhausted after losing in another qualifier in Cebu City, members of Team Polaris finally hoisted the championship trophy with big smiles on their faces.
“Okay naman sila. Pero hindi sila 100% ngayon, dahil kahapon natalo sila sa finals ng T1 qualifiers,” said team manager Marvin Osorio, as Team Polaris eventually went home with the P200,000 first prize honors.
Former Team Sibol athlete Jan Anthony Vargas, also known as Natsumi, led Polaris’ efforts with Immortal hero Undying, which finished at Level 25 when it was over.
Undying usually serves as a lane support/tank role for the team and has abilities which allow him to harass enemies off the lane to secure space for his carry to farm.
Vargas emerged with 15 kills, four deaths and eight assists in Game 2 after Polaris routed Grindsky, 48-26, for the final win.
“Fight lang kami. Dahil alam namin na mananalo kami,” said the 21-year-old Vargas, who did a lot of heavy lifting by helping produce the needed resources early in the game.
After Sibol teammates Marvin Rushton and McNicholson “Lelouch” Villanueva rushed for kills to break and 8-all deadlock and grab a 14-9 lead in the 18 minute mark, Team Polaris took their time pull away, and were ahead by 28-17 on the 27th minute.
Lelouch was the second highest scorer in Game 2 (10-5-17).
Polaris gathered enough strength to destroy the final tower in the game at the 46th minute mark.
“Expected namin na lalamang kami dahil iyung hero ko ang nagke-carry (resources),” said Rushton, who utilized a versatile hero, Doom which can become a powerful late-game threat due to its ability to quickly farm.
Their fight with Talon Esports earlier sapped Polaris’ energy going into the Sunday’s semis and finals clash with their 2-3 setback on Saturday sending to The International 2022 finals in Singapore.
There was still tiredness in their eyes as Team Polaris also earned a slot with Grindsky to the Asia-Pacific Predator League 2022 Grand Finals, which returns with in-person matches on November 11 to 13 in Japan.
In reaching the finals, Grindsky early eased out Execration, 2-1, while Polaris won over Atomic Esports in the semifinals.
Meanwhile, a day earlier, Rex Regum Qeon (RRQ) fought off a late rally in Game 2 to sweep South Built Esports (SBE), 2-0, (13-7, 14-12), in their best-of-three finals series in Predator League 2022-23 Philippine Valorant Qualifiers Grand Finals.
They needed an extra 26th round to finish off SBE, 14-12, with a trap and a triple kill from female teammate Kelly “KellyS” Sedillo’s Vandal rifle.
This pushed RRQ to the crown, the P200,000 purse and a slot to the Asia-Pacific Predator League 2022 Grand Finals, which returns with in-person matches from November 11 to 13 in Japan.
“Nakabawi ang SBE. Nabasa namin ang depensa. Kaya sinara namin ang isang side ng mapa para malaman naming ang plano at madepensahan sila,” said coach JC Jamir.
Emmanuel “Emman FPS” Morales showed the way for RRQ with 27 kills, while KellyS backed him up with 19, along with Jed “Draxii” Jamir with 18.
In Game 2, SBE rallied from an 8-11 deficit and tied the match, 12-all, after Azis “Azys” Nandang gunned down Morales in an ambush.
In round 25, Draxii came out of hiding and eliminated Chris “Pro” Martir in the final seconds to lift RRQ to a 13-12 lead.
RRQ also drew support from the games of Nathaniel “Nexi” Cabero, Franz “kvzx” Dingal and James “2ge” Goopio.
Princess Laosantos, senior marketing manager for Acer Philippines said, in a past interview that strong partnerships from within the esports community has made the formation of Philippine-based teams possible.
“We have formed strong alliances and partnerships, we have sponsored and supported many esports programs and local teams over the years. We were the official PC partner of the Esports segment of the Southeast Asian Games when Philippines hosted in 2019,” said Laosantos.
Laosantos said Acer Predator is the company’s premium brand for gamers looking for the ultimate gaming experience.
“The brand is known for its disruptive technologies, the cutting edge innovations, and the iconic design, but as a brand what really sets us apart from the rest of the competition is the authentic connection that we have cultivated with the gaming community, partners, and pioneers in the esports industry,” said Laosantos.