Challenge Accepted: Interview with WarGods’ Stronger
Dominant for over a year, WarGods has risen to become one of the best League of Legends (LoL) teams in the Philippines. They recently added another title to their list of accomplishments after winning Garena Philippines’ prestigious Pro Gaming Series (PGS).
The grand finals of the PGS was an intense back and forth match between the then-undefeated Mineski team and WarGods. Throughout five games, these two juggernauts clashed in a display of skill and aggression. However, it was WarGods who wanted it more that day, willing to go all-in with high-risk maneuvers that eventually rewarded them with the championship title.
The team has managed to slowly move up the ranks and cement themselves as one of the elite. With only two members leaving as of this writing, the relatively stable squad has made a legacy on the back of a solid core line-up.
And in talking about the glue that holds WarGods together, Ronel “Stronger” Tan has proven that he deserves the title as one of the best in the business in the country. From his MMO beginnings, to his difficult journey of becoming a professional LoL player, to learning and adapting himself to different positions, he tells his story of his team’s current victories, the state of eSports in the Philippines and his personal tale of hard work.
(The interview was conducted March 16, 2015 via Skype)
Stronger is a 22-year old veteran gamer. Playing since he was little, his competitive drive started around the late 2000’s, when online gaming was experiencing its first boom. Games like Dragonica, a Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG), first caught Stronger’s attention when they started hosting events for cash and glory. He knew then that he wanted a piece of that pie.
“I started competing in 2011 for Dragonica online, before moving on to Dragon Nest in 2012. It was in Dragon Nest where I was able to represent my country and win at an international tournament,” Stronger narrated. “Afterwards, I switched to League of Legends because it was a bigger scene. I started as an amateur player before getting picked up by the Manila Eagles. Unfortunately, our batch was the weakest in terms of skill, resulting in us getting kicked out.”
“Since then, I kept playing and improving until I got the chance to join WarGods on November, 2013.”
Though he has been competing at a high level, Stronger still had a difficult time adjusting to the team.
“We all have different attitudes and personalities. I had to be the one to adjust because I was the new kid,” Stronger explained.
In fact, he recalled his process of becoming a regular member, which took longer and harder than most people may expect.
“I wasn’t scouted, recommended or anything. I wasn’t the person they were looking for.” Stronger said. “I just found out that they were looking for a Jungler. During that time, my main positions were Top and AD Carry.”
Changing positions in LoL is similar to other team-based sports like basketball. While the physical aspect isn’t there, it’s the mental and psychological factors that make this task difficult. Imagine being the aggressive, balls-to-the-wall vanguard, only to forced to become a defensive, behind-the-scenes playmaker due to necessity.
“But when I heard the news, I approached Poysanity and asked him to try me out. He told me to go to WarGods Morayta to practice, but when I went there, they weren’t actually practicing. I saw the other members though and went up to them.”
“I think they were forced to try me out and from then on, we joined various tournaments and won. They told me that if we lose even one game, they would kick me out. That’s why I was pressured to perform every single game,” he added.
“We managed to continue our win streak throughout the Challenger Circuit, all the way to PGS, where we eliminated MSI. That was when I was finally considered as a regular.”
Beating a powerhouse
With PGS fresh in his memory, Stronger recounted his PGS experience, particularly the Grand Finals versus Mineski. His opponents were undefeated through the entire season and playoffs before they faced WarGods. A combination of risky maneuvers and fighting spirit managed to give them the championship, but Stronger says it was also just about learning the metagame and tons of practice.
“We weren’t worried when Mineski beat us during the regular season. The Season 5 patch just hit and we still had to adjust. During the Best-of-Five finals however, we tried various thing like letting them have their comfort picks since we prepared for those, among other strategies.”
“Most important though, was praying before the games,” he said.
“We expected what team compositions they were going to use, so we simply prepared counters against them. Mineski doesn’t change their playstyle often. We also did a lot of rotations and riskier dives, which thankfully paid off.”
While WarGods prospered locally, it was a completely different tale across the sea. They recently competed in the Garena Premier League, Southeast Asia’s biggest tournament, but weren’t able to qualify in their group to move on to the next round.
“It’s really different in the GPL. Competing with international teams was a great learning experience that made us stronger in the local scene. However, they are more sutied for international play due to the fact that they have better resources in general,” he explained.
“Because of our bad internet connection, we had no choice but to play with a half a second delay, which was a huge disadvantage for us. Add to that the new meta that Season 5 brought, which forced us to figure things out as quickly as possible,” he added.
“There was no clear conclusion on why we lost games. It gave us a hard time trying to adapt and perform well in the GPL.”
Sponsors and the future of Philippine eSports
Setbacks aside, Stronger still has a very positive outlook towards Philippine eSports. He puts his faith in the fact that more and more people would be more supportive of the industry
“I hope for more sponsors to help out eSports, but more importantly people taking interest,” said Stronger. “Even if you don’t compete, it’s fun and inspiring watching other players do well and bring recognition to our country.”
“I also wish the our government treat eSports the way other countries with successful eSports scenes do (Korea). But of course, the first change must come from us gamers. We must be more responsible in our actions as well as what we do to other people.”
As Stronger and the rest of WarGods look forward to more tournaments to conquer, he left this simple message to those who wish to strive to become successful in eSports and maybe, life in general:
“If you really want something, do not wait for it to happen to you. Make yourself impressive and show them that you deserve what you want.”
“Thank you for the comfortable interview. Thank you eSports Inquirer for helping promote eSports in the Philippines. Of course, big thanks for my teammates and everyone in WarGods. Sir Ryan, Madam Antz and all my friends and fans who continue to support us and believe that we can get better!”
| Favorite Champion | Nidalee |
| Most Hated Champion | Urgot |
| Favorite Team | SKT T1 |
| Favorite non-LoL Game | Final Fantasy Tactics |
| Favorite Food | Spaghetti |
| Favorite Movie | Godfather Trilogy |
| Favorite Music | Almost everything |
Personal Quote:
“It’s good to be sad and feel bad if you failed but don’t forget to learn from your mistakes. Be glad and celebrate when you did something and succeed because you earned it. Stay strong!”
(Credits to WarGods, Ronel Tan, and Garena Premier League for images)
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