MANILA, Philippines – After a spirited run that had local e-sports fans frothing at the mouth, the Philippine-based Dota 2 squad TNC dropped out of The International 6 (TI6), the world’s biggest Dota 2 tournament, on Friday, August 12.

The defeat comes after a pair of victories against China’s Vici Gaming Reborn on Tuesday, August 9, and against powerhouse Team OG on Wednesday, August 10, at the Key Arena in Seattle.

The magnitude of the victory against Team OG is comparable to national hoops team Gilas Pilipinas winning against a top 10 world basketball contender like Spain or France – a victory that propelled TNC to the competition’s final 8 teams. 

TNC would go on to face US team Digital Chaos in the next round where they were defeated Friday.

The Philippine team ends with a 7th/8th finish in the tournament, breaking the record of another local team, Mineski, which finished in the 9th-12th bracket back in 2011. This marks the highest-ever finish for a Filipino team in The International, a worthy achievement in the growing e-sports scene.

Also worth celebrating for TNC? The fact that they’ll be taking home a prize that currently stands at $509,983 (around P23.8 million). The prize may still increase as the tourney’s money pool grows with continuing sales from Dota 2 virtual content.   

Team Digital Chaos remains in contention in TI6 along with teams Wings, EG, Ehome, MVP and Fnatic, all vying for the $8.9-million grand prize. The finals will take place on August 14, Manila time. – Rappler.com 

US$1 = P46.9