Young Filipino Dota2 team falls short in Predator League title bid

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — The Philippines was unable to become Predator League champion for five straight years as all-Filipino team Ivory fell in the Dota2 semifinals of the Asia-Pacific Predator League 2025 at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC) here.

Ivory, a group of Dota2 players who banded together three months ago, defied expectations as they emerged victorious in the group stages, 2-0, while tournament favorite Execration saw an early elimination.

"Matagal na kaming pro-players. Nawalan lang ng team and ayun kung sino lang maging available. Nag-try kami magbuo [ng roster], try lang kung may mapatutunguan. Kung baga binuo lang talaga naming magtotropa then suddenly may nakuha akong organization na makakatulong to improve the team and ayun, nag-qualify,” said Ivory’s Carl “Dric” Ricrafrente.

The team is headed by coach John "Teehee" Abanto, a former player of TNC Pro Team and XERXIA, whose past experiences helped the squad get this far.

"Yung mga pinagdadaanan nila ngayon, na-experience ko na siya. So ang binibigay ko sa kanila is yung mga natutunan ko when I was a player,” shared Abanto.

Even though Ivory showed great potential, it saw its Predator League campaign come to an end during the semifinals. The squad succumbed to home bet Myth Avenue Gaming, which fielded two Filipino players — Mark Anthony "Bob" Urbina and James "Erice" Guerra.

Though failing to keep the Philippine winning streak in the league, Ivory is upbeat on its future.

"Feel ko sa three months, grabe na yung achievement namin. Malaki na yung naabot namin sa three months run namin. Confident ako na magkocontinue pa naman,” said Ricrafrente.

Ivory's semifinal exit marked the end of the country's win streak in Predator League's Dota2 event. Since the league's second edition, a Philippine team had always won the Dota2 event. TNC Pro Team was back-to-back champion in 2019 and 2021 (the 2020 edition was cancelled due to the pandemic), Polaris in 2022 and Blacklist Rivalry in 2024 (2023 being a gap year for the league).