In what could be another landmark in the history of Philippine Dota after then-IAP.Execration’s shocking performance in the Starladder Season X LAN Finals back in 2014, Incheon-based team Rave will start their journey today in the group stages of The Summit 3 LAN tournament at the Beyond The Summit (BTS) house in Los Angeles.

The event features some of the best Dota 2 teams from all over the world, which includes big-brand names such as Evil Geniuses (EG), Vici Gaming (VG) and Cloud 9 (C9) among others. In fact, Rave’s very first game in the so-called “Group of Death” will be against VG, widely regarded as the best Dota 2 team in the world at the moment.

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Evil Geniuses and Cloud 9 round out Group A. EG, another team in the running for top in the world, is one of the most successful teams of 2015, bagging the grand prize at the Dota 2 Asia Championships back in January and winning a cash prize of $1,284,158 (P57,400,400).

Meanwhile, C9 is known for their innovative style of play which enabled them to take consistent podium finishes in many of the tournaments that they participate in.

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Overall, Rave has a tough fight ahead as they have to face three of the best squads in the game.

So how did Rave come to take part in this tournament?

The format of The Summit 3 allows for the defending champion to be invited while seven other teams secure their spots by winning their respective qualifiers, for a total of eight teams.

There is only one slot for the Southeast Asian region and thus, Rave went out to prove their worth against the region’s finest teams. As a matter of fact, Rave had to defeat Mineski along the way during the upper bracket semi-final of the qualifier.

In the upper bracket final as well as in the grand final, Rave faced the only team that could possibly stop them in their tracks — long-time rival MVP.Phoenix.

Despite the fact that the Filipino side defeated them decisively 2-0 in the upper bracket, the Korean squad was more than willing to go the full distance during the grand final, which Rave won by the smallest of margins, 3-2.

However, the Korea-based team needed to deal with a previously unforeseen problem on the way.

Roadblocks for Rave

Despite emerging victorious in the qualifiers, a series of unfortunate events rocked the team en route to The Summit 3.

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Before the event, the team was set to attend a different LAN tournament as well as participate in other qualifier tournaments that would serve as valuable experience and practice time for the team.

On Friday, April 3, 2015, Rave mentioned on a Facebook post that they were unable to get their Visas approved in time for the joinDOTA Major League Gaming (MLG) Pro League. In addition, three members of the team were asked to disembark from their return flight to Incheon, Korea by immigration agents who demanded the necessary documents meant for clearance abroad.

This affected their performance as they played in less-than-ideal circumstances for the ESL One Frankfurt qualifiers as well as the 2015 Red Bull Battle Grounds tournament. Needless to say, the team bowed out early despite the fact that they were one of the favorites to take the ESL One Frankfurt qualifier bracket.

However, after two weeks of uncertainty, the Filipino team was finally able to secure their Visas in time for The Summit 3.

Senator Benigno Paolo “Bam” Aquino played a huge part in helping Rave get their Visa applications expedited, thus allowing the Korean-based squad to compete in one of the most iconic tournaments of the Dota 2 scene.

The delays and setbacks however have cut into the team’s preparation time for the event.

In an interview at the BTS house, Rave’s support player Michael “Nb” Ross, said that the team had a shortened practice regimen for the event due to the issues they faced in April.

What awaits Rave in the tournament?

Even if they finish last eighth place, they will be able to take home $6,688 (P298,500) and the experience of facing Dota 2’s top-flight teams — a huge boost for the team’s bid at The International Southeast Asia Qualifiers at the end of May.

If they happen to grab the championship, they will get $113,704 (P5,074,600) and at the same time, gain the honor of being the first Southeast Asian team to have won The Summit.

The other two teams to have won the previous editions of the tournament were EG and VG.

The Summit is a global tournament with an interesting twist, organized by the Beyond The Summit Studios. The tournament is reminiscent of the Homestory Cup for StarCraft; a high-stakes event but played in a more intimate environment where players and competitors can relax and enjoy each other’s company in between matches.

Featured image by Juan Carlo Candido “Jucasa” Saquin

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