#Laban: Mineski and a Tradition of Upsets

In July of 2013, Mineski placed 8th in the E2MAX L33t Championship, losing to then Singaporean powerhouse team, Team Zenith.

For their efforts, they won 5 CM Storm mousepads and a $50 voucher to buy digital games.

Their highest achievement in the last few years came in June of this year, after they defeated fellow Filipino team, TnC Gaming, during the Mineski Pro-Gaming League Season 7. In their victory, the team won P83,500.

Of course, these are just their victories told in relation to their winnings. As an institution of Philippine eSports, Mineski’s original claim to fame is their performance at the first ever The International — Dota 2’s grandest event — back in 2011. It was here when the world really got their first taste of the Filipino style of Dota 2: aggressive, unrelenting and scrappy. The hallmarks of any underdog team.

Today, as I reflect on the successes of Mineski at the Fall Majors in Frankfurt, Germany, I can’t help but look back and appreciate the journey.

Mineski has always been a team known for upsetting expectations. They defied expectations when critics thought that they could never take a game off of veteran teams in TI. They defied expectations when even their own fans in the country called them washed up. Even from the very beginning, Ronald Robin’s dream of establishing a truly competitive eSports organization that’s also truly Filipino defied expectations.

For all the gains that the global eSports industry has achieved in the international arena, it pays to also highlight our own gains in the country, among our own eSports athletes and teams. It’s a time to be excited as a Filipino eSports fan.

Not only are mainstream media outlets, sporting brands and celebrities finally recognizing the trials and sacrifices of the men and women behind the Philippine eSports industry, but it seems as though our dreams are finally within reach — we are at the cusp of a new age of competitive excellence, and the results are showing.

Mineski’s very presence in the Fall tournament already secures them $30,000. While many would say that the monetary gain is large, knowing Mineski, this would not (and should not) be enough. They are there for the chance to be hailed as champions and they seem hell-bent on achieving it.

Where did this Mineski team come from? It would be easy to say that they are doing well because of the resources their players have at their disposal. After all, Mineski is an organization that is also supported by a well-managed marketing team that secures funding for their players.

But that would be minimizing the achievements and hard work of the team. While the support from Mineski is substantial, their current roster is a collection of Filipino talent with an all too uncommon trait: they are all workhorses. Devoted, almost to a fault.

JessieVash has basically made Dota 2 his life. This the man who, just because he loves competing, stood in at the last minute for JoeNet — a team who he had never met nor played with prior to MPGL grand finals last year.

Ryo famously spent over a year of his young life practicing and playing Dota 2 full-time in Korea as a member of Rave. The team’s winning ways and best practices have evidently carried over to Mineski. As the off-laner in Mineski, Ryo has been performing admirably in his role as initiator, vying for the best off-laner title in Southeast Asia along with fellow Rave alumnus, DJ from Fnatic.

Kuku might be in the running for best breakout performance in the tournament as the young carry player is slowly cultivating a legend for himself. Known for his Huskar plays, Kuku received one of the best compliments one can receive in Dota 2: to have your name chanted and suffixed with “-god” by fans, casters and pundits alike.

Seeing “Kuku-god” typed in chat by Filipinos and foreigners gave me chills. A well-deserved amount of recognition as Kuku is one of the hardest working people on team, routinely playing 6 hours of matches on top of scrimmages.

And of course, we round out by giving recognition to two of Mineski’s finest franchise players. Julz’s transition into the support role is a mark of maturity that needs to be talked about. His role as a carry player brought his team success in the past but it’s his role in Mineski as a 4th position support that has enabled Kuku to wreak havoc.

To spectators, changing roles can seem quite simple. However in practice, switching roles for the betterment of your team — and achieve results — is something that is difficult to do. More than a hurdle of skill, this is often a mental and attitude hurdle as well. When you’re a young eSports athlete, the idea of switching your roles to let someone else to take the highlight reel kills can be one of the biggest forms of personal sacrifice.

Finally, we reach Bimbo. The RagingPotato, as he now goes by, is playing in roles he was born for as the latest patches have enabled his tempo-controlling staples of Shadow Fiend and Queen of Pain to put in the work. It would have been easy for Bimbo to just put down his keyboard and mouse following his successes but instead he chose to continue playing. Bimbo’s career has been marked by dedication. Even when he wasn’t playing in games, Bimbo would still serve as Mineski’s captain ever since he joined the squad back in 2011.

In the next few days, Mineski will pour their hearts out to represent the country and bag the championship. The opposition will not be easy as they will have to face Team Secret, one of the best teams in the world today.

But no matter the odds, Mineski is a team that you can count on to do one thing: they will show up and fight to the bitter end. There is no other way for them. All of their sacrifices have placed them in a winning position and they will see it through to the end.

And if they just spark a few upsets along the way then it will all have been worth it.

What a time for Philippine eSports.

#LabanMineski

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