March 29, 2024

2018 saw many highs and lows in the Philippine CS:GO scene. From MPGL CS:GO being discontinued, to Plus Attack being held in Cuneta; from Mineski disbanding to TNC rising up the Asian rankings; from numerous VAC bans to TNC/ArkAngel rising to the top in various Asian tournaments, the country’s CS:GO scene has experienced an action-packed year.

While 2017 can be called the “year of provincial CS:GO”, 2018 is known as the “start of a new chapter” in Philippine CS:GO history.

Mineski Disbanded: End of an Era

Mineski decided to end their venture into CS:GO after a lot of heartbreaking moments earlier in the year. They presented the gold standard in terms of dominating the local scene.

They are best remembered for their 2nd place finishes in BenQ Asia Cup as well as ESEA Asia Pacific Season 24 and 25.

ArkAngel Getting Their First Championship

While it was an online tournament, getting first place in the Mogul Shootout finals earlier this year showed the quality of ArkAngel’s players.

The same can be said for their womens’ team, who recently got the championship in the WESG CS:GO SEA qualifier. Indeed, it is a momentous milestone for both the team (who finally got over their erstwhile rivals Phoenix from Singapore), as well as the organization overall.

TNC’s Rapid Rise

While they are yet to win a big Asian championship, they showed that they have the talent and the skill to go toe-to-toe with the top sides in Asia.

Their performance during the last three months of 2018 is a big sign of this rising trend.

If history is to be heeded, TNC has no way to go other than up.

Plus Attack 2018: FPS Apex

With a P600,000 prize pool, Plus Attack is the biggest-ever local tournament in terms of prize pool (Without counting qualifiers for international tournaments, the prize pool is more or less twice as big as MPGL CS:GO in ESGS).

Teams such as TNC, ArkAngel, Expendables, CGH and Station-751, among others, took the chance to show their talents in front of a big audience.

Tournaments and the Provinces

From SEDNA in Manila to NCGC and Metronoia in Mindanao, various mid-tier tournaments, regional majors and minor competitions have appeared in the CS:GO space for 2018.

As such, places such as Zamboanga and Davao are slowly emerging to become regional CS:GO hubs in the country.

Overall Thoughts

TNC almost got the ticket to the Asia Minor earlier the year and the general state of the Philippine scene is getting better as time goes by.With a huge influx of new players and viewers, expect 2019 to be a better year overall!

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