Another day, another MPGL championship for Kimo and Execration
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After being gone for almost two years, one of Southeast Asia’s most fabled esports tournament picked up right from where it left off—Kimo’s Execration lifting the championship trophy.
The MPGL Asian Championship 2018 concluded last night at the Central Plaza in Khon Kaen, Thailand with the Filipino squad successfully defending their MPGL Southeast Asian Championship title against Clutch Gamers, 3-1, in the best-of-five grand finals.
Execration’s victorious journey at the MPGL Asian Championship 2018 served as the redemption arc for the original bad boys of Philippine Dota. They were practically missing-in-action since their last appearance in The International 2017 as one of Southeast Asia’s representative. They also failed to obtain a single Dota Pro Circuit point, let alone qualify for a single Dota Pro Circuit tournament.
“We weren’t fortunate enough to join the Dota Pro Circuit. We tried recruiting multiple players for our roster, but it just didn’t work out. But this roster found its stride in the MPGL, that’s why we emerged as the champions,” Kimo, Execration’s long-time captain and support player, told Mineski.net a little moment before they celebrate their newest achievement.
In a competitive Dota 2 scene like in Southeast Asia, experiencing a rough patch can be significantly detrimental to a team’s overall worth. You can build a legacy over a decade of supremacy only for your constituents to forget it after a year of misfortunes. Execration was once in the run for King of SEA title, and now, they are trying to reclaim it, one MPGL title at a time.
“The MPGL Asian Championship 2018 grand championship title means a lot to us. We were the defending MPGL champions, and it would be embarrassing if we failed to defend our crown,” Kimo stated.
Execration’s MPGL Southeast Asian Championship victory in 2016
Like most redemption arcs, Execration’s path to the MPGL Asian Championship 2018 was also an arduous journey. They claimed the grand championship title coming from the loser’s finals after Clutch Gamers knocked them down in the winner’s finals to claim the first grand final slot for themselves.
It was a cause to panic, if you’re a fan of Execration or the brand of Philippine Dota 2 in general. But according to Kimo, they were never worried—in fact, they were laughing their loss out, “It was okay for us. We expected the loss because we know what went wrong on our side. We can actually do it. In consideration, our match against Clutch Gamers is 50/50—the first one to commit a mistake or get outdrafted loses. We never doubted ourselves,” Kimo narrated.
When I asked Dexter “Zendex” Ancheta, MET’s head of league operations, about Execration’s legacy in MPGL tournaments, he cited how Kimo and Execration’s manager, Arvin Risos, were always able to discover the freshest Filipino talents. Some of the country’s most notable players were once under the tutelage of Kimo such as Abed, DJ, and even Gabbi, who almost defeated him in an MPGL grand final.
“Gabbi has improved a lot since the conclusion of The International 2017. He rejoined Execration earlier this year but his teamplay was different from ours. He improved a lot when he returned to Clutch Gamers. Maybe that’s one of the advantages of going competing abroad, you get to focus more compared when you’re here in the Philippines,” Kimo shared about Gabbi’s growth.
Although Fernando “Nando” Mendoza, Karl Matthew “Karl” Baldovino, Earlwin “Ewe” Libre, and Jomari “Grimzx” Anis can no longer be considered as strangers in competitive gaming, the fact that Kimo led these talents at the top of an Asian-wide competition is still nothing short of impressive. It ultimately flexes his leadership abilities and further validating his title as the Philippine’s greatest captain of all time.
As much as he deserves the fabled title, Kimo doesn’t want the confirmation to come directly from him, “Maybe I can be the Philippines’ greatest captain of all time, because I’ve been competing for a long time with various players. Maybe I was just unfortunate to form a dream team, but we don’t really know—I just carry on. It’s better if that title will come from other people, I don’t want my bashers to come after me again.”
Kimo has stated how returning to The International 2018 was supposedly Execration’s ultimate goal this year. But after failing to survive both phases of the open qualifiers, they have no choice but to carry on, “There are still a lot of tournaments. What we now aim for is to be consistent and to be at least a tier one team.”
As a parting word, Kimo thanked all of Execration’s fans who have been with them through thick and thin. As one of those who witnessed their roller coaster-like journey as a stalwart of the Philippine Dota 2 scene, I can attest that there’s still no better duo than Execration and the MPGL.
