As an initiative for the Mindanao region, here is a partial list of the top CS:GO teams that have appeared at significant levels in the scene.
This will serve as a quick database for people who want to know more about the budding Mindanao CS scene.
History-wise, they are the only region to have never won any national or international tournament of any sort. While Luzon has many teams to that effect, Visayas had one (back in 2012 when DC Smackdown won the Asian Cyber Games.
International tournaments are in italics and bold.
CGH: CGH has reached the semifinals of the ZOWIE Extremesland 2018 Philippine Qualifiers. They are certainly making a strong case for a good performance towards the end of the year!
FORM:
- 3rd/4th Place – CGH Tournament (8-team playoffs)
- Semifinalists (Joint 3rd/4th) – ZOWIE Extremesland 2018 Philippine Qualifiers
VAPEBAR (formerly ZCORE): This team has just updated their portfolio with a LAN appearance. Not bad for a relatively new team!
FORM:
- 3rd/4th Place – Level 21 Mindanao CSGO Tournament (9 teams)
- Finalists (Joint 7th/8th) – ZOWIE Extremesland 2018 Philippine Qualifiers
Metronoia: Still hanging on, even with their recent slump.
FORM:
- 1st Place – Metronoia Pro CS CUP (8-team playoffs)
- Quarterfinals – B5 Extremesland Elite CSGO Cup (20+ teams)
- 1st Place – Level 21 Mindanao CSGO Tournament (9 teams)
- Quarterfinals – B5 Extremesland Elite CSGO Cup #2 (20+ teams)
- Quarterfinals – Havoc Minor League Season 1 (20+ teams)
- Quarterfinals – ESEA APAC Season 28, playoffs yet to be played (20+ teams)
- Semifinals – Havoc Minor League Season 2 (20+ teams)
Clover: Disbanded.
FORM:
- 3rd/4th Place – Metronoia Pro CS CUP (8-team playoffs)
- Quarterfinals – Havoc Minor League Season 1 (20+ teams)
- Quarterfinals – Havoc Minor League Season 2 (20+ teams) ONGOING
South: Currently participating in the Havoc Minor League, they are set to face Clover Esports ONCE AGAIN.
South seems to be here to stay as they get to the quarterfinals of Havoc Minor League Season 2. As they are favored to win over Clover, it seems that they will make their mark this year by getting at least another semifinal finish (if they can’t beat the winner of the Audacity-Expendables matchup).
FORM:
- Semifinals – Havoc Minor League Season 1 (20+ teams)
- Quarterfinals – Havoc Minor League Season 2 (20+ teams) ONGOING
Cranium is apparently one of Davao’s old-name teams. They have made their comeback into the Mindanao tournament circuit by winning second place in the Cyberia Gaming Hub CS:GO Tournament.
FORM:
- 2nd Place – CGH Tournament (8-team playoffs)
Atlas Esports is the champion of this year’s Cyberia Gaming Hub CS:GO Tournament. They are definitely a team to be followed, though it is still early to say whether they would be able to go all the way or would just remain a one-shot win.
FORM:
- 1st Place – CGH Tournament (8-team playoffs)
Run N’ Gun (RNG): Coming from Cagayan de Oro, their Mogul Season 3 second-place finish against Thai squad Xunwu has clearly raised the profile of their team.
However, due to many problems, they are set to disband soon.
FORM:
- 2nd Place – Mogul Arena Shootout Season 3
On a special note, Mindanaoan teams should join the Mogul Shootout Arena – the ping problems have been resolved and it is relatively easy to qualify as teams who have qualified aren’t anymore allowed to join once again, up to the finals (It is already well-known that four teams get to go to the playoffs bracket. Besides, Steam wallet codes and CSGO keys are at stake)…
But then, if players have classes (or different priorities – wait, you are all supposed to be pro players, why not spend your time with your family or friends or significant others when there are no tournaments – ) during weekends…then that’s a completely different story.
Here are the teams that are currently non-appearing in significant tournaments of any kind:
Lemonsqueezy: Composing of a mixture of players from Davao and Cagayan de Oro, they have finished second place at the Metronoia Pro Cup. Since then, they lost two of their players to Mineski and thus are totally inactive, with players searching for greener pastures.
GNarcoticsPH: Their last appearance was during the Metronoia Pro CS Cup back in December 2017.
DakingZ: A combination of the players who have won the WASD Amateur Cup, as well as the remnants of LemonSqueezy, this team has proven to be quite the threat as they were only one of two teams who took a map off eventual champions Metronoia in the Level 21 Mindanao CSGO Tournament. It is unknown whether they will have a new lineup in the future.
FORM:
- 1st Place – WASD Amateur Cup (around 10 teams)
- 3rd/4th Place – Metronoia Pro CS CUP (8-team playoffs)
- 2nd Place – Level 21 Mindanao CSGO Tournament (9 teams)
Hawd: They have reached the quarterfinals of the said tournament. They are set to face Suspect Reborn GT. They are missing at the moment.
FORM:
- Quarterfinals – Havoc Minor League Season 1 (20+ teams)
BISMOD: A mixed team, they have shown some good games during the Level 21 Mindanao CSGO Tournament.
More appearances are needed for them to show their actual gameplay level, though they have shown performances that are at par with many of the “nameplate” teams in the region.
FORM:
- 3rd/4th Place – Level 21 Mindanao CSGO Tournament (9 teams)
G7: Coming from Iligan, they have made some appearances in local tournaments. However, they are yet to make a significant impact. They have participated both in the Metronoia Pro CS Cup and the Level 21 Mindanao CSGO Tournament.
Disclaimer: While every effort has been made to include the relevant teams in the list, the author does not guarantee the teams’ history before December 2017.
The author is a staff writer for CSGO2ASIA, which serves as one of the centers for CS:GO in the Asia-Pacific region.
He is also currently a consultant for Metronoia Cyber Cafe, as well as a teacher, creative writer and tons of other stuff.
Links to his current writeups can be found in the “Other Works” section of this page.
