The grand finals of the Asia Pacific (APAC) Predator League delivered competitive gaming at the highest level last Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena. Thousands of fans in attendance along with netizens watching from home awaited the crowning of this year’s Predator League 2024 Champions in their respective esports (DOTA 2 & VALORANT).
Blacklist Rivalry—Acer’s APAC Predator League DOTA 2 Champions for 2024
DOTA 2 Champions—Blacklist Rivalry
In the first game, Blacklist Rivalry took the first game in convincing fashion versus local rivals Execration as their bruiser draft consisting of Alchemist, Dragon Knight, and Spirit Breaker bested Execration’s tempo-oriented Tiny, Pangolier, and Lina composition.
However, Timothy ‘TIMS’ Randrup’s Shadow Demon was the star for this game as his map presence just proved to be overwhelming for the opposition—sporting a KDA of 8/2/22 with the highest kill participation of the game.
In Game 2, Execration locked in Ember Spirit for Mark Anthony ‘Bob’ Urbina, who had shown success with the pick earlier in the tournament. Blacklist Rivalry responded to this by drafting Techies & Chen for their support duo.
Looking to extend the series, Bob was able to outclass Abed in the mid lane. However, Polo ‘Raven’ Fausto’s Luna and Gabbi’s Naga Siren were able to take enough space around the map to prioritize their own resources as the carries of the team.
The duo repaid the faithful with a masterful performance as they defeated Execration with a 2-0 sweep and went home with $65,000 as this year’s Predator League 2024 Champions for DOTA 2.
Meanwhile, Execration receives $20,000. Third and fourth finishers in China’s Team Aster and IHC Esports from Mongolia will also receive USD$ 7,500 each for outstanding performances.
Team Secret—Acer’s APAC Predator League VALORANT Champions for 2024
VALORANT Champions—Team Secret
In the VALORANT grand final, regional powerhouse Team Secret went head-to-head with Japanese squad FAV Gaming—with the latter taking the first map pick of Breeze.
With Team Secret winning the pistol round, FAV Gaming responded with good site holds early on, with Matsuyama ‘bazz’ Naoya scoring a huge 4K (four-kill) round to get his team ahead in the first half.
However, Noel ‘NDG’ De Guia displayed some heroics of his own to take momentum away from the Japanese powerhouses as they closed the gap coming into the second half.
The second half started in Team Secret’s favor as they took the pistol and the bonus, with Jeremy ‘Jremy’ Cabrera scoring himself the first ace of the series in Round 14 to fire everyone up. The Adobo Gang showed up to play, and they took Breeze with a 13-7 scoreline.
Team Secret’s Jeremy ‘Jremy’ Cabrera, recipient of the Intel MVP Award for VALORANT
In Map 2, Team Secret were confident as they got their signature map pick of Haven with momentum on their side. In traditional Secret fashion, aggression was shown regardless if they started the map on defense. As crowd favorites, Jremy got the crowd riled up as he picked up a knife kill against FAV Gaming in Round 3.
Team Secret proved to be undeniable as they dominated the first half with an 11-1 lead. With insurmountable odds, FAV Gaming crumbled as they couldn’t keep up with Team Secret’s form. The Philippines reigned for the day as Team Secret claims the Predator Shield in VALORANT while securing the title of Predator League 2024 Champions.
Team Secret takes home the lion’s share of $65,000, with FAV Gaming earning $20,000. Third and fourth placers BOOM Esports from Indonesia and Team Flash from Vietnam take $7,500 each.
The Intel MVP Award Recipients
Blacklist Rivalry’s Polo ‘Raven’ Fausto, recipient of the Intel MVP Award for DOTA 2
Merits were also given to exceptional players who stood tall amongst the competition in the Asia Pacific Predator League 2024. For DOTA 2, it was awarded to carry player Polo “Raven”
Fausto while in VALORANT it was awarded to duelist player Jeremy “Jremy” Cabrera. Both players take home an extra $10,000 in cash as well as the Intel MVP Award Trophy.
