Manila Cup 2016: Philippines’ Fighting Game Communities Take On the World
From September 10 – 11, the Philippines’ Fighting Game Communities (FGC) will once again face some of the best that the world has to offer. Manila Cup 2016, the second iteration of the Imperium Pro Team-ran international tournament, is looking to improve upon last year’s critically acclaimed event. Held at the Acropolis Clubhouse in Libis, it is one event that you shouldn’t miss, be it as a player or a spectator.
Over 100 entrants are to take part in what is to be the country’s largest FGC event yet. Brackets will be ran for five titles: Street Fighter V, Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3, Mortal Kombat XL, Guity Gear XRD Sign and Blazblue Chrono Phantasma Extend. All considered to be international championships, a lot is at stake for everyone involved.
The Street Fighter V portion of Manila Cup 2016 in particular is a designated Capcom Pro Tour (CPT) Ranking Event. This means that aside from being the largest bracket in terms of entrants, it is also the most prestigious. Top placers will gain points for the CPT seasonal leader-board. In addition, the champion of the event will proceed to the CPT Asian Regional Finals for the chance to grab a CPT Global Finals slot later this year.
A Global Affair
Apart from numbers, the Street Fighter V star power at the event is a thing of its own. Names from far and wide have come to Manila to earn the coveted title and with capable local threats ready to defend the homeland, nothing is set in stone.
Here are some of the names you should look out for:
Hometown Heroes:
- Joshua “IPT | Yoshi 1995” Rappert
- Don “PBE | Don” Gim
- Ron “Limfiltration” Lim
- Alexander “PBE | Bully69” Lim
Western Warriors:
- Justin “EG | Jwong” Wong
- Ricki “EG | Ricki” Ortiz
- Kenneth “EG | Kbrad” Bradley
- Ryan “PG | FChamp” Ramirez
Threats from the East:
- Ryota “Kazunoko” Inoue
- Hiroyuki “Eita” Nagata
- Bruce “Gamerbee” Hsiang
- Masato “Bonchan” Takahashi
When and Where to Watch
If you’re keen on watching the event, do take note of the schedule below:
September 10
10 AM – Doors Open
11 AM – SFV / MKXL / BBCPEX / GGXrdRev / UMVC3 Pools
5 PM – MKXL Top 4
6 PM – BBCPEX Top 4
7 PM – GGXrdRev Top 4
8 – 10 PM – SFV / UMVC3 Pools
September 11
10 AM – Doors Open
11 AM – 12 PM – UMVC3 Top 8
1 PM -3 PM – SFV Top 32/16
4 PM – Onward – SFV Top 8
TeamSpooky on Twitch will be the event’s official stream team, with a side-stream to be announced soon. A full infographic by the organizers will be released within the night, so be sure to visit this page later.
For updates on Manila Cup 2016, you can follow the organizers, Imperium Pro Team, on Facebook.
Stay tuned on eSports by Inquirer.net for the latest developments in the Philippine FGC.
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