Cebuano coach on the lead, new PH team Vice Esports to bring out the best in PH Dota
Just as Filipino teams are making noise in the current ONE Esports SEA League, a new promising PH team has been revealed.
Vice Esports (formerly LGD.int) had just released their first Dota roster, featuring an all-Filipino line-up. The current team is composed of two experienced players and three new faces.
In an online interview, Vice Esport’s coach Chris Ian Francis “CTY” Maldo, who also used to be a player, narrated how Vice Esports was launched as a new avenue for undiscovered Filipino players to jump into the professional scene.
The organization’s biggest goal to bring the classic Philippine Dota back to the professional, competitive scene.
“(We) saw the potential of Pinoys, so we decided to make it happen. It’s like something to be proud of also since we are Filipinos,” said CTY, who is also a Cebuano.
Vice Esports full roster
- Cris “Sirc” Lachica – Position 1
- Anton “Bob” Urbina – Position 2
- Michael Roi “Enryu” Ladines – Position 3
- Kryte “LuziFy” Gabriel – Position 4
- Ryniel “Zenki” Calvez – Position 5
Sirc and LuziFy came from well-established esports teams before coming to Vice Esports. Sirc was Neon Esport’s former carry player, who also made a couple of wins with the team. LuziFy was known in his time with Lowkey Esports PH and GoodFellaz, usually taking the position 4.
Staying true to the organization’s vision to lift up ‘underdogs,” we can also expect to find some unfamiliar names in their roster. While Bob, Enryu, and Zenki have yet to make big waves, hard work and passion will be the key to “inspire underdogs in the PH Dota community to rise.”
“From the humble beginnings of our players in their local computer shops to now being able to compete at the highest level, we hope that through watching our games, we can show that hard work and dedication to your craft and lead you to a road of success in whatever field or game,” said Ivan Cuevas, owner of Vice Esports via Messenger.
Current grind
The organization does not plan to settle with Dota, as they also plan to branch out to other games in the future.
For now, the team is busy competing in a number of Southeast Asia and China-based online tournaments.
Coach CTY expressed that the team has a lot of work to do in terms of chemistry, but remains positive that the players will pull through.
“We hope to help elevate esports in the Philippines from the grassroots and inspire more Pinoys to put themselves out there and grab the opportunities the industry presents,” Cuevas added.
Aspiring players who want to try out can reach the team through their official Facebook page.