Following the successful staging of the first conference, The Nationals returns with an even exciting second conference of DOTA 2 as action begins today (May) 1 at the Gariath Concepts in Eastwood City, Libis, Quezon City.
“The league’s first conference has been very successful, but The Nationals have bigger things in store,” said commissioner Ren Vitug in Tuesday’s Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum at the Amelie Hotel-Manila. “Hopefully, we can better show our vision this upcoming conference.”
The Cignal Ultra Warriors aim for back-to-back titles after beating the Suha-XCTN Punishers in the grand finals of the season-opening conference last month, which earned the team the P400,000 cash prize.
Cignal will see action on opening day when it clashes with n PLDT-Smart Omega, which, despite finishing third in the previous conference, is considered one of the most formidable teams in the league.
The day’s other match-up is first conference runner-up Suha-XCTN Punishers against Bren Epro, with the latter going in with a reformed roster. Taking a bye on opening day is Happy Feet Emperors, a team that also adjusted its roster in between conferences.
The league will again give away P400,000 to the champion, P200,000 to second placer, and P100,000 to third placer.
The league will follow the same format as the first conference, a double round-robin two-game series across all the teams. The three best teams after the group stage will advance into the playoffs, with the top performer being seeded into the grand finals.
The Nationals is the country’s premier esports league, and the contested Dota 2 right now is just one of the three games that will be featured in the competition’s first year.
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and Tekken 7, two of the country’s biggest games on mobile and console respectively, are to see action later this year.
For more information about The Nationals, follow the league through its social media platforms Facebook (with live stream of games), Twitter, and Instagram at PHNationals. It also aired on 5Plus via ESPN5 and One Sports and eGG Network via CignalTV.
