The 2019 Taiwan Excellence eSports Cup kicked off on a high note on October 4, Friday, at the SM City North EDSA The Block Atrium in Quezon City. The three-day event, which highlighted top gaming products from Taiwan PC brands, Counter Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) and League of Legends (LoL) tournaments, and a cosplay competition drew crowds of eSports fans, gaming enthusiasts as well as media guests and VIPs.
Hosted by athlete, TV personality, and avid gamer Eric “Eruption” Tai, the thrilling event opened its first day with an energetic dance number from Upeepz Dance Crew followed by opening remarks from Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) Director Mr. Wen Chun-Chang and Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) Director Mr. Clement Chen, who both emphasized the importance of the Taiwan ICT industry’s support for the local eSports community. As the Philippines continues to grow into a viable gaming and eSports market, the introduction of the most advanced technologies and powerful gaming devices from Taiwan can help boost the gameplay of aspiring Filipino eSports athletes.
Also gracing the grand opening ceremony is actress and celebrity cosplayer Myrtle Sarrosa, who got first dibs in experiencing the products on display at the free-for-all brand booths. Among the devices she got to try were Asus Republic of Gamers’ ROG Zephyrus S (the world’s lightest and thinnest gaming laptop), the Gigabyte Z390 Aorus WaterForce Xtreme motherboard, Aorus memory cards and video cards, AVerMedia’s plug-and-play AM310 USB microphone and Live Streamer Cam 313, InWin’s WINBOT Limited Edition Transparent Spherical case, Kingmax Semiconductor, memory cards and external portable SSDs from Transcend and T Force, Zyxel’s tri-band Wi-Fi system, and peripherals from XPG, Zadak, and G.Skill.
The product experience zone also included ten units of gaming desktops that were made available for guests to use in playing games such as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) and League of Legends. Fans also had the chance to take photos with cosplayers dressed as their favorite game characters and jammed with pop rock band GraceNote, which added excitement to the three-day festivities.
The intense CS:GO battle on October 4 and the LoL games on October 5 were also witnessed by eSports fanatics all over the world via live streaming on the Taiwan Excellence Facebook page. Day 1 was hosted by shoutcasters Nomadph and Ilustrado, and Day 2 by G10 and Een Mercado. Celebrity cosplayer and gamer Ashley Gosiengfiao also made an appearance on October 5 to meet with her fans.
Winners' circle
Bren Esports dominated the CS:GO tournament and won the grand prize of P56,000 in cash. Each team member also took home an Asus ROG Delta Headset, ROG Collection Shirt, ROG Armor Suite Backpack, and P2,000 worth of Sodexo Gift Certificates. In a short speech, the captain of Bren Esports expressed the team's collective sentiment about their victory, "We're very happy about winning. I think we deserve this because we worked hard for this."
Aside from these prizes, Bren Esports also has the honor of representing the country in an upcoming CS:GO friendly match against Taiwan Excellence eSports Cup winners from Malaysia, Thailand, India, and Taiwan. "We're going to practice more in preparation for our upcoming matches abroad," promises Bren Esports.
Meanwhile, CX Blanc took home the grand prize of P56,000 for the LoL tournament. Each team member also received an Asus ROG Delta Headset, ROG Collection Shirt, ROG Armor Suite Backpack, and P2,000 worth for Sodexo Gift Certificates from Taiwan Excellence.
Taking the second, third, and fourth places for the CS:GO tournament are Fallen5, WIMAX, and Station 751, respectively. For LoL, the runner up positions were nabbed by PlayLoud, Ruyal, and Archeous accordingly.
On the other hand, the cosplay competition on October 6 showcased the creativity and talent of Filipino costume artists. Judged by representatives from TAITRA and cosplayer, game streamer, and video content creator Kang Dupet, 30 contestants took the stage in their best CS:GO- and LoL-inspired costumes. Izaiah Luke Buelos took home the grand prize of P40,000, while runners up Sergio Sta. Ana and Nicholai Dizon won P20,000 and P10,000 in cash, respectively.
With a total prize pool of P430,000, this has been one of the biggest eSports tournaments in the country to date. Not only the players and contestants were able to bring home prizes, guests who registered at the venue also had the chance to win prizes from the Shopping List, Guess Whose Logo, and Scavenger List games.
The 2019 Taiwan Excellence eSports Cup is organized by the Bureau of Foreign Trade (BOFT), Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), and Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), with partners Asus Republic of Gamers, Aorus, AVerMedia, In-Win, Kingmax, Transcend, XPG, T Force, Zadak, G.Skill, and Zyxel. For more information, like and follow the Taiwan Excellence Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/TaiwanExcellence.ph/.
