Over the weekend (January 19 - 21, 2018), I've attended Galaxy Battles II: Emerging Worlds DOTA2 tournament. Witnessed how VGJ.Thunder from China overcame 7 of the popular international Dota2 teams and became the champion with their disciplined and well-executed plays.
They also took home USD 200,000 as they celebrated their win with the hyped Pinoy crowd estimated 33,000 in attendance.
Last year, the first Galaxy Battles was held in Shenzhen, China. On its second year, Fallout Gaming and Purpose Win Entertainment Limited brought the tournament in Bulacan, Philippines at the Philippine Arena.The tournament featured 8 Dota2 teams across the globe including the crowd favorites OG, EG and Pinoy pride TNC.
Also, they featured broadcast talents such as Eri Neeman ( MVP of tournament hosting!), panel host Danelie Purdue, and commentators such as David “GoDZ” Parker, David “Luminous” Zhang and the rest of the commentators who knows the ins and outs of Dota pro scene.
Enjoyed great Dota2 action on the opening day, January 19, as Team Spirit, VGJ.Thunder, Evil Geniuses and Red Bull OG secure their win. TNC Pro Team and pain Gaming also took games and won over Infamous and PG.BArracx respectively, eliminating the two from the tournament.
On day two, the top teams in the upper bracket battled it out for one of the the Grand Finals slot in the tournament. Team Spirit and Red Bull OG succumbs to VGJ.Thunder and Evil Geniuses in a best of three battle in the Upper Semi-Finals. Last match of the day was between VGJ.Thunder and Evil Geniuses. Evil Genius secured the Grand Final slot in a close battle with VGJ.Thunder.
Last day, the Philippine Arena was packed and lower bracket teams fought each other in four best of one matches. TNC Pro Team and paiN Gaming were not so lucky and suffered defeat from Red Bull OG and Team Spirit respectively. Team Spirit was on a winning streak and eliminated Red Bull OG. VGJ.Thunder however halted the momentum of Team Spirit as they secure Grand Finals slot with Evil Geniuses.
The grand finals between Evil Geniuses and VGJ.Thunder was epic and was like a tug of war especially in Game 2. Both teams showcased their high level play but VGJ.Thunder took the trophy with their impressive teamplay and clutch saves. Congrats to China’s VGJ.Thunder, with members Sylar (Jia Jun Liu), Ayo (Tianyou Fan), Fade (Pan Yi), Yang.Cn (Zhou Haiyang), and Kamma (Liu Chang).
Quick Results Day One:
· Team Spirit def. TNC Pro Team (2:0)
· VGJ. Thunder def. Infamous (2:0)
· Evil Geniuses def. PG. Barracx (2:0)
· Red Bull OG def. paiN Gaming (2:1)
· TNC Pro Team def. Infamous (1:0)
· paiN Gaming def. PG. Barracx (1:0)
Quick Results Day Two:
· VGJ. Thunder def. Team Spirit (2:1)
· Evil Geniuses def. Red Bull OG (2:0)
· Evil Geniuses def. VGJ. Thunder (2:0)
Quick Results Day Three:
· Red Bull OG def. TNC Pro Team (1:0)
· Team Spirit def. paiN Gaming (1:0)
· Team Spirit def. Red Bull OG (1:0)
· VGJ. Thunder def. Team Spirit (1:0)
· VGJ. Thunder def. Evil Geniuses (3:0)|
· Galaxy Battles II: Emerging Worlds Champion: VGJ. Thunder
The tournament even though not a Major was a success as Filipino fans showed their support for the love of Dota2. Every awesome play by every team were reciprocated with loud shouts and thundering cheers from the Pinoy crowd.
That goes to show how passionate and dedicated the Filipino fans are in enjoying great Dota. For Dota2 organizers, bring more Dota2 Major tournaments here in the Philippines and we Filipino fans will surely back you up.
Coverage by: Aaron Nomo
for Azrael's Merryland Blog
