Dota 2 Asia Championships: #RAVEvolution
With things in turmoil back in their homeland, the Overseas Filipino Gamers (OFGs), Rave Dota, are in China to start a #RAVEvolution!
Rave Dota (Rave) are competing in the 2-million-dollar Dota 2 Asia Championship (DAC) — the biggest tournament outside The International (TI) 4’s 10-million-dollar tournament.
Rave Dota is the sole Filipino squad among the eight teams directly invited to the tournament. Rave has been consistent with their performance, grabbing titles locally and internationally. They were the Mineski Pro Gaming League (MPGL) VI Southeast Asia Champions and they also managed to dethrone the two-time defending Korean champions, MVP.Phoenix, in Korea Dota League Season 4, who were also directly invited to this tournament.
This Korea-based team consists of: Mark “Cast” Pilar, Ryo “ryOyr” Hasegawa, Michael “nb” Ross, Jio “Jeyo” Madayag and Djardel “Chrissy” Mampusti.
Let’s support Rave as they wage a #RAVEvolution!
The ‘2-million-dollar’ tourney
The group stage has started (Jan. 29) and will run until Feb. 2, with all games being played at a best-of-one format. At the end of the group stage, the bottom four teams will be eliminated, with the remaining 12 teams advancing into the main event. The main event will pit the top 12 teams from Feb. 5 to 9, following a double elimination format with the Grand Finals being a best-of-five series.
DAC is the largest tournament outside TI4 with a growing prize pool of $2.4 million as of press time (base prize pool of $250,000). The prize pool was raised by the Dota 2 gaming community through compendium (a packaged book that serves as an all-in tournament pass) sales and compendium points (used to level-up the compendium) sales with 25 percent of each going to the prize pot.
The prize pool distribution will be at:
- $1,025,165 (42%)
- $292,904 (12%)
- $219,678 (9%)
- $170,861 (7%)
- $122,043 (5%)
- $122,043 (5%)
- $97,635 (4%)
- $97,635 (4%)
- $42,715 (1.75%)
- $42,715 (1.75%)
- $42,715 (1.75%)
- $42,715 (1.75%)
- $24,409 (1%)
- $24,409 (1%)
- $24,409 (1%)
- $24,409 (1%)
- $12,204 (0.5%)
- $12,204 (0.5%)
Live streams:
[ENG] Beyond The Summit TV
[ENG] Beyond The Summit TV 2
[ENG] DotaCinema
[FIL] Mineski TV
The Spark of #RAVEvolution
Day ONE
Game 1: RAVE vs TONGFU
BREAK A LEG. Rave starts their run in the Dota 2 Asia Championship with a win over China’s Tongfu. (Photo grabbed from Rave’s Facebook page)
Game 2: RAVE vs LGD
STEP BACK. Rave falls hard against LGD from China. (Photo grabbed from Rave’s Facebook page)
Game 3: RAVE vs INVICTUS GAMING
SURPRISE. Rave defeats Chinese powerhouse Invictus Gaming in fashion. (Photo grabbed from Rave’s Facebook page)
Game 4: RAVE vs MVP.PHOENIX
RIVALRY. Rave defeats Korean-rival, MVP.Phoenix, ending day one with a statement, 3-1 standing. (Photo grabbed from Rave’s Facebook page)
Rave ended day one of DAC with an impressive standing of 3-1 — only losing to LGD.
Day TWO
AGAIN. Rave Dota once again defeated the reigning The International 4 Champions, NewBee, in their encounter in Dota 2 Asia Championships group stage. (Photo grabbed from Rave Dota)
In this 32-minute game, Rave managed to maintain their lead throughout the course, ending up with a 26,000 gold lead and only losing two tier 1 (outermost) towers. Rave now sits at the second spot of the group with 4 wins and 1 loss.
ABOVE AND BEYOND. The total team worth and experience difference between Rave and NewBee. (Screen captured from TrackDota)
DOUBLED. The kill score after the game between Rave and NewBee. (Screen captured from TrackDota)
Game 6: RAVE vs EVIL GENIUSES
EARLY LEAD. Rave had a 20-14 kill lead some time in the game, showing early dominance over American team, Evil Geniuses.
Rave Dota showed early game dominance amid losing some lanes to Evil Geniuses, even having a 20-14 kill lead in the middle part of the game. However, some crucial pick-offs turned the table around in favor of the Americans, who easily got the upper hand and eventually snowballed toward the end.
DESTROYED. After picking-off some heroes in the bottom lane, Evil Geniuses seized in the Filipinos’ base, easily sweeping the barracks.
TOO MUCH FIREPOWER. The pushing power and sniping capability of Evil Geniuses’ lineup proved to be a hurdle for Rave’s second match of the day. (Photo grabbed from Rave Dota’s Facebook page)
1-1. Rave loses their second game of the day to Evil Geniuses. They are currently sitting now at the third spot of the group, being tied with Vici Gaming at 4-2. (Photo grabbed from Rave Dota’s Facebook page)
DOWNFALL. The total net worth and experience difference between Rave Dota and Evil Geniuses.
UNLUCKY 7. Evil Geniuses posed a 7-kill lead against Rave Dota. Rave even had the kill lead at 20-14 in the middle part of the game.
Game 7: RAVE vs VICI GAMING
Playing out the last game for their day, Rave faced the Chinese juggernaut Vici Gaming. They showed an exemplar lead in the early part of the game, just like their match against American titan Evil Geniuses.
EARLY LEAD. Rave showed early game dominance yet again over the Chinese juggernaut, Vici Gaming.
HOLD ON? Not for so long, Vici Gaming held the lead toward the middle part of the game, slowly closing the gap and difference in the total net and experience.
As much as Rave wanted to held on to their lead, Vici Gaming found their own means to come back by the stats. Super’s Medusa was literally super in terms of farming and played so safely that he didn’t have a single death by the mid-game.
BACK AND FORTH. The kill lead was close by this point of the game.
FOUR THE WIN? Rave slayed four of Vici Gaming’s heroes including MEDUSA!
Just when things were getting blurry for Rave, they managed to get a four-man wipe from the opposition. But was it enough to secure the W?
OH NO. Vici Gaming’s team play and proper coordination secured them victorious clashes, eventually snowballing for their W.
DIFFERENCE. The total net and experience difference between Rave and Vici Gaming at the end of the match.
1-2. Rave held it earlier but the W slipped through their fingers, losing two out of their three games for Day 2 of DAC.
What could have been one of the biggest upsets of the tournament turned out to be a heartbreaking defeat. Rave had it earlier in game, but it showed that the experience and skills of the Chinese players played a big role. Nonetheless, it was one of the closest matches that the Filipinos had against a top-tier team.
34-31. The kill score at the end of the match.
Rave currently sits at the fifth spot of the group stage with 4 wins and 3 losses.
Game 8: RAVE vs CLOUD 9
Rave faced the American qualifiers winner, Cloud 9, for their first match of the third day of DAC.
SWEEPING. Just before the game hit the 20-minute mark, Rave lost all their outer towers including a bottom tier 3 tower. By Ishan Adolfo.
NOT A GOOD START. Cloud 9 defeated Rave giving them their third consecutive loss. (Photo grabbed from Rave Dota’s Facebook page)
DOWNFALL. The total net and experience difference between Rave and Cloud 9 in their 25-minute game.
OUTSCORED. The ending kill score in Rave and Cloud 9’s game.
With this defeat, Rave’s standing currently sits at 4 wins and 4 losses.
Game 9: RAVE vs HYPER GLORY TEAM (HGT)
1-1. Rave gets their first win for the day.
Rave destroys Hyper Glory Team (HGT) to get their fifth win in the Dota 2 Asia Championships.
ABOVE AND BEYOND. Rave posed more than 25,000 gold lead at the end of the game as well as a 14,000 experience difference against HGT.
DESTROYED. Rave posed 16-kill lead over HGT.
Game 10: RAVE vs CDEC.Douyu
AGAIN. Rave finishes the third day of DAC with only one win and two losses.
With this defeat Rave drops into the 9th spot of the group stage with 5 wins and 5 losses. They still have five remaining matches to play to conclude their run in the Dota 2 Asia Championships.
BLAZED. Team Secret demonstrated an exemplar performance over Rave, ending the game at 20-4 kill score.
Western giant Team Secret steam rolls Rave for their 12th straight win of the group stage. Rave currently sits at the 9th place with 5 wins and 6 losses.
Rave falls hard to Team Secret.
Later today, they will face the Western titan — the only one left unscathed in the tournament — Team Secret at 3 p.m. (GMT+8, Philippine Standard Time). Then Rave will face the god-packed team, Big God, at 7:30 p.m. and will conclude their day against Natus Vincere at 10:30 p.m.
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Photo banner by Juan Carlo Candido “Jucasa” Saquin
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