The International 5 featured an All-Star Match for the ages that included Danil “Dendi” Ishutin cosplaying as Pudge and its very own cheese wheel reward that Wong “ChuaN” Hock Chuan gladly took a bite out of. While ESF Cebu’s 10v10 Show Match may not feature anyone from the international Dota 2 scene it featured some of the most popular players and icons the Philippines has to offer.

The Line-Ups!

Not only did it include arguably one of the most popular cosplayers ever in Southeast Asia, Alodia Gosiengfiao, it also includes some of the Philippines’ finest Dota 2 players. New Fnatic acquisition Djardel “Chrissy” Mampusti, Mineski’s Julius “Julz” De Leon and Arcanys’s Heinrich “HEINRICH!” Abad were all around for the match where everyone just threw caution to the wind.

Typical SEA Mannerisms

You can’t call it real SEA Dota unless there is some friendly (and unfriendly) banter among competitors. On this side of the Dota 2 scene, everyone loves a little bit of trash talk now and then. They even butt heads on who deserves a report more.

The Cosplay Queen

The lovely Alodia Gosiengfiao looks just as adorable even while stressed in a game of Dota 2. She played her signature hero Witch Doctor which she is known to be very good with. This was a moment when her teammates left her for dead to minimize losses. Rational strategy is, after all, a crucial part of the game.

The Epic Plays

This was just one of the many plays where a perfect Chronosphere (or Black Hole or Echo Slam) resulted in absolutely nothing. The players were probably too busy stealing a glimpse from Alodia or indulging in the ‘friendly’ banter. Aldrin “Dunoo” Pangan, the shoutcaster of the match, even playfully calls it ‘BEAUTIFUL DOTA’.

10 MAN TEAM WIPE

Team Alodia takes some momentum back after wiping out the whole Dire side and resulting in crazy gold swings. THEY ARE ALL DEAD.

RAMPAGE!!

Everyone loves a good Rubick. People also love a good Rampage. So why not both? Julz picks up a RAMPAGE on a Rubick, absolutely delighting the crowd.

 

Tactical Pause?

In any typical pub, pausing before a crucial clash is essential to pulling the rug from beneath your opponents. Excuses such as disconnects and lags are paramount into biding your time to talk strategy while under the guise of smoke. Case in point.

QUICK! UNPAUSE!

Dire proceeds to unpause the game while some of the Radiant are disconnected. They go for the Rubick’s Godlike spree while poor Julz is unaware. Best unpause ever.

All good things must come to an end

Team Alodia’s lead was too insurmountable despite Team Arcanys and Friends creative ways to stage a comeb