Mineski just announced the updated rules and format for its main tournament offering, the Mineski Pro Gaming League, Season 8 and it’s kind of a big deal.

Since 2010, the MPGL has been a cornerstone of Philippine Dota 2. It was here that Philippine teams such as Mineski, Execration, Arcanys, Happy Feet, TNC and even Rave cut their teeth and honed their skills before achieving a modicum of success in international tilts. With Mineski’s latest announcement though, I believe that MPGL will represent a shift in the eSports industry in the Philippines that can hopefully lead to a better environment where local teams can succeed in the long-term.

Summary of changes

Here’s a brief list of the changes coming to the MPGL:

• 1. Base prize 1.6 million
  2. Permanent team format
  3. MPGL is now the major league; smaller leagues allow for amateurs to get scouted out by good orgs
  4. Will be offering other games, but Dota 2 for sure
  5. Two-stage dota 2: Groups and playoffs
  6. Teams will play from the MineskiTV studio

The base prize pool of P1.6 million is actually the least exciting thing about the changes. As eSports expands year-over-year, we can expect the prize pools of all tournaments to grow over time. While the increase in payout is enticing and certainly ups the stakes of the tournament, it’s the changes to the foundation and super-structure of the MPGL that will have lasting benefits for the Philippine scene.

Let’s have a quick rundown of the changes, presented without comment:

Permanent team format: Starting MPGL VIII, seven teams from credible eSports organizations in the country that meet the Mineski Events Team’s standard will be invited to participate in the league, with the final slot up for qualifiers. Once entered into the league, teams lock in their rosters and cannot change players for the duration of the season. The criteria posted by the MET include: sponsorship, player wages, presence of a boot camp, or any combination of the above.

Amateur leagues: Since the MPGL will now serve as an invite only league, there will be less qualifiers for smaller teams to make their way into the MPGL. The MET will hold smaller, amateur level tournaments to cater to the needs of smaller organizations and up-and-comers. The goal is for the MPGL to be the big leagues of eSports in the country, while the amateur leagues will serve as a jump-off point for aspiring pros to be scouted out and recruited to a reputable gaming organization.

Game offerings: Dota 2 is the heart and soul of the MPGL and is the first game announced that will be supported for the season. I expect other games in the big four, namely League of Legends and Counterstrike: Global Offensive, to be part of the MPGL as well.

Dota 2’s new format: The Dota 2 season for MPGL VIII will feature a two-stage season: A single round-robin, Best-of-two, group stage with two group clusters and a Best-of-three Playoff series (until semi-finals) with the Finals being a Best-of-five affair. Teams are seeded into the playoffs based on their performance on the group stages, with the top seeded teams holding a 1-0 advantage in the playoffs.

MineskiTV studio: Also with MPGL VIII, all games for the season will be hosted at the MineskiTV Studio. If you’re following the Nexon tournaments in Korea, this means that teams who are competing at a set time will play their games inside the same space, ensuring that quality play standards, fairness and a more controllable viewing experience is maintained throughout the tournament.

The good things

Easily the best parts of the announcement are the MineskiTV studio arrangement and the permanent format.

In the past, I’ve written about how the Philippines can benefit from better local leagues to foster local team growth. With a locked-in roster requirement, teams are required to work through differences and improve their mechanics both individually and team-wise instead of disintegrating after one bad performance.

I’m slightly worried about long stretches though of time though, given MPGL is a months-long season. What happens when a roster just isn’t gelling? I would like to see a mid-season roster swap period or a ruling on substitutions in a full roster, but as it is, I am in favor of having a permanent team lock for the season.

Part and parcel of this is the fact that the permanent team lock also bares some insight into how teams and leagues are approaching the issue of organizations and credibility in the Philippines. Since the MET has placed a criteria for the eSports orgs that are participating in the MPGL, we can deduce that more care is being given into how organizations are treating their players.

READ: Dispelling the Myth of the Korean Gaming House

Mandating that an organization has to give adequate attention to things like sponsorship, player wages, boot camps will give incentives to other organizations to finally place players first if they want to be part of a local tournament league that can be a good source of revenue long-term.

This is even more important as Mineski also sits on the Philippine eSports Association (PeSPA) board. Since its announcement late last year, PeSPA has been quiet on the industry front. With MPGL VIII’s changes, this could mean that PeSPA will take a more active role in the industry in 2016.

But the change with the highest potential to completely change the game has to be the existence of the MineskiTV studio. With a permanent area where teams can converge and play, I expect that the mechanical abilities of competitors will be on full display.

In the past, issues of internet connectivity have always marred the lines between who is truly skillful in Philippine Dota 2 and who is just riding on the hype. With a centralized area setup, we can finally have a real baseline for how player skill compares against each other.

While I still believe that playing against the best in the world is what truly drives teams to become better, having a local tournament that forces players to really perform and hone their mechanics without being able to blame things like lag is the crucial first step to true dominance.

Of course, it does have its downsides. With the MineskiTV studio located in Manila (I expect they will announce the location on their own terms so I will refrain from saying where it is), this does shut out the possibility of teams from Visayas and Mindanao from participating in MPGL VIII.

It might not be completely bad, however. We’ve seen a similar system work out in Korea, where eSports organizations have to travel and relocate to Seoul (or near it) if they want to be big players in the industry. Of course, the Philippines being an archepelagic country with strong regional identities might mean that we need to adopt a different infrastructure to accommodate the Filipino players.

As with every change, it would do us well to consider how these changes can incentivize a change in behavior between players and organizations. I don’t expect this to be the norm moving forward though and I am comfortable with having MPGL VIII as an essentially Manila-only affair for the time being.

Conclusions

Overall, I am very happy with MPGL VIII and the Mineski Organization’s commitment to uplifting the local scene. The changes to their premier tournament offering looks to build a more stable, long-term infrastructure for Philippine eSports.

There are some spaces that could use improvement however. The tournament format for the Dota 2 season for instance could stand to be a clear Best-of-three group stage, all the way through the semis. I would also prefer it if they removed the 1-0 advantage for group stage winners.

Given that MPGL is held over a long-period of time, I would prefer a longer series of matches rather than the Best-of-two. Longer series are a hallmark of great eSports matches. It makes for amazing story lines and leaves a better impression on skill between competitors. Likewise, the group stage advantage of 1-0 can soften the impact of a great match, as it literally turns quarters and semi-finals matches into a low pressure event for top seeded teams.

It would also be a great benefit for observers and eSports die-hards if the criteria for eligibility for organizations were published. As it stands, there is no mention of a skill-based or achievement-based criterion from the original announcement by the MET. What about low-resource, stellar track-record teams like Rave-Dota? By publishing the criteria for eligibility, the MET and Mineski can inspire other organizations and send a clear message: if you want to be in the big leagues, shape up.

These aren’t deal-breakers though and I recognize that having the 1-0 advantage and the group stage format are considerations for viewer experience. All of this points to some form of forward-thinking in behalf of the industry leaders in the Philippines. I eagerly anticipate this league. It’s a big deal.

To view the full announcement, visit Mineski.net. All images owned by Mineski.

For even more eSports non-sense, you can follow Paolo on Twitter at @TheSandata

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