Well, it looks like all those years of “kakacomputer mo yan (that’s what you get for playing on the computer)!” have paid off. The Filipino esports community proves that they are a powerhouse in the Southeast Asian region.
The Philippines went on to medal in 4 out of the 9 esports that were in the 31st SEA Games, with two being gold medals in League of Legends: Wild Rift (Women’s) and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, and silver medals in CrossFire and League of Legends PC.
The women’s Wild Rift roster, known as GrindSky Eris outside of the SEA Games, proved to be the starting point for the Philippines’ reversal of fortune, demolishing the competition and cruising their way to Philippines’ first ever women’s gold medal for esports.
This was followed by arguably the country’s most popular game, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, featuring the game’s most popular team representing the country– Blacklist International.
Their run was just as dominant as the Wild Rift women’s team, dominating opposition with relative ease, even defeating an Indonesian superteam; giving only one game in the Grand Finals.
The SIBOL campaign capped off with solid silver medals from the CrossFire team and the gutsy performance from the League of Legends PC team– guess it’s time to put the ‘PH sucks at LoL’ statements to rest.
Overall, it was a great performance for the Philippines and that the future is bright for esports in the Philippines.