TNC Predator to release entire Dota 2 roster as free agents
Filipino organisation TNC Predator announced on Monday (13 September) that they will be releasing their entire Dota 2 roster to free agency on Wednesday (15 September) after the team narrowly missed out on qualifying for The International 10 (TI10).
TNC's long-time core trio of Kim "Gabbi" Villafuerte, Armel Paul "Armel" Tabios, and Timothy "Tims" Randrup, as well as their most recent additions in Jun "Bok" Kanehara and Marvin "Boomy" Rushton, will soon all become free agents and are expected to join different teams around Southeast Asia.
In a statement posted on their official Facebook page, TNC revealed that they came to a mutual agreement with their players that releasing them to free agency "would be the best decision moving forward" after discussions "in terms of individual growth".
This decision notably comes after TNC fell victim to a reverse sweep against rivals Fnatic in the grand finals of the TI10 SEA qualifiers back in July, which cost the organisation a much-needed spot in this year's iteration of Dota 2's annual world championship tournament.
The highly-talented trio of Gabbi, Armel, and Tims have been the driving force to TNC's success in past years. Tims was the longest-tenured member of the team, having joined the organisation in December 2016, while Armel joined in January 2018 and with Gabbi completing the trio in September of that year.
With Gabbi, Armel, and Tims at the helm, TNC constantly kept themselves in the conversation for being the best team in Southeast Asia by finishing in the Top 12 of TI9 and claiming its first Major championship at the MLD Chengdu Major in November 2019.
Meanwhile, Bok and Boomy joined TNC and completed an all-Filipino line-up back in March ahead of the start of the second season of the 2021 Dota Pro Circuit (DPC). With Bok and Boomy alongside their core trio, TNC finished the Southeast Asian regional league in second place and qualified for the WePlay AniMajor, where they were able to finish in the Top 8.
"It's been quite the journey these past three to four years, especially with Tims, Armel and Gabbi. TNC has broken several barriers and overcome many obstacles during this period, and we are grateful to have had such talented players spearheading the growth of Philippine esports on a global scale."
"As for Bok and Boomy, you were both essential to our TI run this year, the victories we picked up along the way could not have been done without you," said TNC.
"Thank you for sharing your skills and personalities with TNC Predator. You will always be part of our TNC family wherever you may go."
Former TNC Predator Dota 2 roster:
Kim "Gabbi" Villafuerte
Armel Paul "Armel" Tabios
Jun "Bok" Kanehara
Timothy "Tims" Randrup
Marvin "Boomy" Rushton
For more esports news updates, visit https://yhoo.it/YahooEsportsSEA and check out Yahoo Esports Southeast Asia’s Facebook page and Twitter.
Watch videos on Yahoo
