LOYOLA GAMING member Zedrik “jeff” Dizon came out triumphant against De La Salle University alumnus Paolo “Quanon” Santos with a score of 3-1 in the Red Bull R1v1r Runes Civil War finals last July 8.
Pioneered in 2019, the R1v1r Runes is a 1v1 Defense of the Ancients 2 (DoTA 2) competition that brings together players from all over the country to battle it out on a regional and national level.
Red Bull R1v1r Runes featured a custom map and adjusted in-game mechanics, which deviates from the usual DoTA 2 game setup. This forced competitors to face off in short battles of quick decision-making. For a victor to be named in these 1-on-1 matches, a player must either destroy a Tier 1 (T1) tower or be the first to obtain three kills against their opponent.
The regional round featured a best-of-three, double elimination format that gave eliminated players one last chance to vie for nationals via the Last Chance Qualifiers. In total, the top two winners from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, along with two Last Chance Qualifiers, moved on to the national round.
The national round conducted a similar best-of-three, double elimination format. The eight gamers went toe to toe, besting one other to reach the best-of-five grand finals where Dizon was crowned champion.
Shifting grounds
Dizon’s journey to the top was far from smooth sailing; his usual game style of prioritizing kills was not the most effective tactic in the tournament. After losing a round to an opponent in regionals, he realized he had to reassess his initial strategy. “[My opponent] was 0-2 na [in kills], then I was about to kill him, and then I realized that he was pushing my tower lang and had no intention at all of killing me, so I lost [one round],” Dizon shared.
The loss prompted Dizon to develop an unorthodox playstyle. Instead of getting kills, he focused on collecting tankier items and pushing his opponents’ T1 towers. With this strategy, Dizon emerged on top of the Luzon regional qualifiers with a whopping 90% set-win percentage.
King of the river
Dizon’s consistent performance carried over to the national finals as he breezed through the competition. In the championship match, he continued to utilize tools such as Necronomicon and Meteor Hammer in order to easily secure the victory against Santos.
The Loyola Gamer’s success in the tournament earned him an exhibition match against Johan “N0tail” Sundstein, captain of two-time The International tournament champion Team OG. The exhibition match saw Dizon triumph over the world champion with a score of 2-1.
“If I were to pick between a cash prize and fighting N0tail, or like anyone from [Team] OG, I’ll surely pick getting a chance to fight them. The prize was really [a] once in a lifetime chance,” Dizon said.
A win like this is a positive development for the Philippine gaming scene. However, Dizon believes there is still more to be done. According to Dizon, having an established local league could help more Filipino players get the recognition they deserve. “There needs to be some sort of established league, like an amateur league in the Philippines, if you really want to find these [aspiring] talents,” he explained.
