The Asia-Pacific Predator League 2020/21 Grand Final day 1 is well on the way with Philippine victories as the beginning salvo for the tournament.
Both TNC Predator and Neon Esports dominated their opponents Galaxy Racers and Team SOOS.
In the first match, Malaysian team, Galaxy Racers, was allowed to select Io, who is considered to be the most contested hero in Dota 2.
However, their hyper-aggressive playstyle in the early game proved to be a boon as TNC‘s patient counterattacking game was enough to dispatch them. Kim “Gabbi” Villafuerte‘s Medusa and Armel Paul “Armel” Tabios‘ Leshrac proved to be too much for them to handle.
The second match of the day had Neon Esports carry their momentum from the Singapore Major as they easily dispatched the Singapore team, Team SOOS. Though Team SOOS was able to ban Puck, who is Neon‘s signature hero, they were still out drafted and outplayed right from the start. Neon Esports did a good job in denying the top lane from Team SOOS, which led to John Anthony “Natsumi-” Vargas‘ snowballed Bloodseeker.
In the other matches, Indonesian team, BOOM Esports, a team from Indonesia, defeated Malaysian team, Team Star.
Meanwhile, Vietnam team, 496 Gaming, dominated over, Philippine team, Reckoning Esports. They secured all three lanes, giving no space for Reckoning to bounce back.
Though Galaxy Racers, Team SOOS, Team Star, and Reckoning Esports lost, they still have a chance to salvage their tournament hopes given the tournament’s double-elimination format.
Matches are broadcasted on Facebook and Twitch channels. You may also tune in to Predator’s Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter pages to be up to date with the remaining battles this April 7-11.