VCL Philippines Split 2 commences today with a highly coveted Pacific Ascension slot at stake.
PHILIPPINES – Excitement is in the air as the VCL Philippines Split 2 event kicks off today with the first two matches of the Regular Season. It will feature eight teams that have earned their spot in the event through either their performance in the previous Split or the open qualifier.
After successfully making their way through the open qualifier, the quartet comprising Looking For Sponsors (formerly Abaddon Esports), Rambutan Ni Tatay, ZOL Esports, and SR Nacague will now join NAOS Esports, Oasis Gaming, Gamelab Alpha, and Action PH in the Regular Season of the PH₱1,500,000 (~US$27,560) event. The latter four teams secured their spots based on their standings in the previous Split.
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The complete team list for VCL Philippines is the following:
| NAOS Esports | Oasis Gaming |
| Gamelab Alpha | Action PH |
| Looking for Sponsors | Rambutan Ni Tatay |
| SR Nacague | ZOL Esports |
The champions of the event will earn the grand prize of PH₱600,000 and a coveted ticket to the Pacific Ascension League. The pressure is on for all teams to deliver their best performances, leaving no room for error. They will subsequently represent the Philippines in a prestigious tournament that guarantees the winners a two-year promotion into the VCT Pacific League.
Among the eight participating teams, NAOS Esports, the current title-holders, are expected to be the team to keep an eye on. They enter the competition on the heels of their recent victory in the VCL Philippines Split 1, which ended their barren spell in the VALORANT Champions Tour circuit with a win over Oasis Gaming 3-1 in the grand final. NAOS being the highest-ranked team in the tournament means the squad will have a target on their backs entering the fray.
Another team currently at their peak are Oasis Gaming, having consistently reached the finals in the previous two Philippine legs of VCT. However, their participation in two tournaments at once, including representing the country in the upcoming SEA Games, may either pose a challenge or may actually benefit the team with more training regimens around the clock.
After deploying the ‘Ragnar’ roster in the first Split, which failed to qualify for the main event, ZOL Esports has strengthened its lineup by acquiring four players from SR Nacague. Returning player Joshua “JoshF” Flores completes the roster. It will be interesting to see how the lineup will fare against the other teams in the competition donning a new jersey.
On the other side of the table, despite losing their core, SR Nacague were able to return to the main event with a new roster built around Jhay “Myd Mathers” Quilicot and four players from the Philippines’ sub-top scene. The two teams will meet in the third week on April 14 at 7 PM SGT.
With Abaddon Esports letting go of its roster, it forces the roster to adopt the name “Looking For Sponsors” until they find a new organization to represent. “After our recent exit from Abaddon Esports, players and staff decided to stick it out and recently qualified for VCL PH Split 2 Regular Season.” Andrew “Shycodelix” Raphael, the team’s operations manager, said on Twitter. “We’re currently looking for an organization to represent as we duke it out against the top teams in the Philippines.” Interested parties can reach him directly at [email protected].
Rambutan Ni Tatay are headlined by Revenant Esports duo Enrico “Ching” Perez and Joshua “JoshS” Santos. Joining them are former Sky Empire player Eugene “eugeneS” Serrano, former Bren Esports player Yousef “Hotsauz” El-Yousef, and former Talon Esports player Mark “markL” Lester. The core members of the team are certainly capable of breaking out at any given moment to allow the team some room to make their mark in the Regular Season of VCL Philippines Split 2. Their first match will be against GameLab Alpha on April 30 at 4 PM SGT.
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Cover photo courtesy of VALORANT Esports Philippines
