Manila team victorious in first ‘Heroes of the Storm’ Philippines Finals

After almost two months of grueling combat, the very first “Heroes of the Storm” Southeast Asia Championship Philippines Finals has crowned a victor.

 

The Philippine Road to BlizzCon 2015 tournaments, which began on June 6, came to a close this July 25. The event, which was held at Breakr:One in San Juan , Metro Manila, saw the eight winning teams from the previous qualifiers going head-to-head for the coveted top spot.

 

Team Bibingka emerged the ultimate champion, nabbing the Php 200,000 cash prize and Razer keyboards for each member. Most importantly, they earned the opportunity to represent the country in the “Heroes of the Storm” Southeast Asia Regional Grand Finals to be held this August 8 in Thailand .

 

 

Competition format – the elimination game

 

The Philippines Finals consisted of four main rounds: the elimination round, the semifinal round, the battle for third place, and the final round. Each round consisted of best-of-three playoffs, except for the final round, which was best-of-five.

 

The eight teams present in the tournament were G7.HYPE! (a.k.a. Team HYPE!), ROG Net Shop, Southwind, GS.Shyfern (a.k.a. Shyfern), BYP.FNK, Jomix, Bibingka, and Wargods.

 

G7.HYPE!, Bibingka, Wargods, and Southwind won their respective battles and proceeded to the seminal round.

 

 

Semifinal round – of close calls and hero selection woes

 

Bibingka engaged G7.HYPE! in combat in the semifinal round. In the first match, which had the teams fighting in the Dragon Shire battleground, G7.HYPE! made a valiant effort to free the Dragon Knight to give their team the power advantage. Bibingka thwarted their plans, however, and once they reached G7.HYPE!’s base, there was no stopping them from demolishing their core.

 

G7.HYPE! put up a good fight in the second match, but they were once again vanquished by Bibingka.

 

The final score was 2-0 in favor of Bibingka.

 

Wargods then went up against Southwind. An issue arose when a Southwind player failed to observe the timer during the first match’s hero drafting stage, resulting in him ending up with Chen Stormstout instead of his favored hero, Valla. Despite the blunder, Southwind performed exceptionally well and won the match.

 

The second match between Wargods and Southwind proved one of the most exciting battles of the evening. Taking place in the Cursed Hollow battleground, Wargods cursed Southwind twice and even recruited a golem in their massive assault on the latter’s base. This reduced the health of Southwind’s core to around 10%, before Southwind was able to fend off Wargods and save themselves from destruction. Southwind then launched a retaliatory strike on their opponent’s base, bringing the health of Wargod’s core to 3%. This move, however, proved costly to Southwind, as Wargods was able to wipe out the entire team in the process. With all Southwind heroes dead, Wargods marched into their base unimpeded and obliterated their core.

 

The third match took place in Blackheart’s Bay. Wargods was initially in the lead after bombarding Southwind’s forts three times in a row. But it wasn’t long before Southwind caught up, and soon both teams were neck-and-neck. Towards the end, however, Wargods was able to slay the Southwind heroes one after another. Southwind never recovered, which led to their defeat.

 

The final score was 2-1 in favor of Wargods.

 

Battle for third place – spiders and skulls

 

Southwind competed against G7.HYPE! for third place.

 

Southwind took the first match. In the second match, which was held in the Haunted Mines battleground, Southwind successfully gathered enough skulls to summon a much larger golem than their opponent’s. This, in addition to several mercenary recruits, helped Southwind secure third place.

 

The final score was 2-0 in favor of Southwind.

 

Final round – devastating combos and shocking character choices

 

In what probably felt like déjà vu for both teams, June 6 qualifier rivals Wargods and Bibingka battled each other once again in the final round.

 

The first match saw Bibingka using “Heroes of the Storm’s ” newest hero, Leoric. A tall, imposing figure, Leoric often led the march towards the opposition, shrugging off attacks that would have felled squishier characters.

 

Wargods fought admirably in the second match, but lost a second time.

 

The Battlefield of Eternity was chosen for the third match. Bibingka was able to enlist the aid of their Immortal three consecutive times, which proved devastating to Wargods. Bibingka also used a hero considered by many in the community to be low tier, and by Blizzard itself as one of trickiest characters to control properly: Abathur, the evolution master from “StarCraft II.” By the time Wargods discovered Abathur’s hiding place and slaughtered him, Bibingka was already far in the lead.

 

Bibingka won the final round, 3-0.

 

Securing victory

 

Bibingka only had a few words to explain why they won the Philippines Finals.

 

“Nonstop practice,” said team captain Oliver Cu Chan. “Eight to twelve hours a day. Every day.”

 

In addition to practice, the team also does a lot of research, keeping themselves up to date on tourneys all over the world, and any vital information that can give them an edge come competition time.

 

Keen observation also had a role to play in their victory. When they first tried out Leoric, they felt he was underpowered. And yet, within a day, the team was able to discover his potential, which was how they could use him effectively in the Finals.

 

A combination of all these also helped them perfect their Abathur play. Abathur is a terrible hero in the wrong hands; but with Bibingka’s knowledge of the perfect character combos for the slug-like Zerg, Abathur is a creature to be feared.

 

All the hours spent honing their skills may have won them first place. But according to team member Arnel John Pasamonte, both the game and the hard work they’ve put into it have given them far more meaningful rewards.

 

“It’s not just a game for me,” said Pasamonte. “It can change your personal attitude, your outlook. Not just your attitude in-game, but in your life outside the game.”

 

For anyone interested in picking up “Heroes of the Storm,” the team had some advice to give.

 

“Try to work with your teammates,” said Bibingka’s Raizo Ichikawa. “It’s not like other MOBAs, where you can be a one-man team. You should always have teamwork.”

 

“It’s a team-oriented game,” echoed a team member who goes by the name Jumpylion. “So my advice to beginners is: treat your team as your friends, not your enemies. Because what you do affects the whole team.”

 

“Give up the solo player mindset,” said Chan. “Teamplay, that’s it.”

 

They also recommended Valla and Muradin to beginners, though one of them jokingly added, “Abathur!”

 

 

Off to the Regional Grand Finals!

 

At second place, Wargods took home Php 150,000. Third place winner Southwind received Php 100,000, and fourth place winner G7.HYPE! Php 50,000. The other four teams were awarded Php 25,000, each.

 

The biggest prize, of course, goes to Bibingka, who will be competing against the Singaporean, Malaysian, and Thai champions in the Regional Grand Finals this August 8 in Bangkok , Thailand .

 

Should Bibingka win the Regional Grand Finals, they’ll be awarded the title of Southeast Asia champion, USD 20,000, and the right to participate in the “Heroes of the Storm” Americas Championship.

 

The top two teams to emerge from the Americas Championship will then compete at BlizzCon 2015 in the U.S. later this year in what will be one of this year’s most explosive e-sports events. — TJD, GMA News