Team Secret and Blacklist Rivalry emerge as Valorant and DOTA champions and Jeremy“Jremy” Cabrera (Valorant) and Marc Polo “Raven” Fausto (DOTA) walked home with the Intel MVP award as the Asia Pacific Predator League 2024 came to a close on Sunday, January 14. The eSports tournament hosted by Acer saw some of the most talented eSports athletes from the APAC region take the stage and put up a spectacular show for the fans.
In case you didn’t know, the Acer Predator League is a tournament organised by the tech giant to promote eSports in the Asia Pacific region. The tournament, since its inception in 2018, has seen over 15,000 teams take part, showcasing their expertise and prowess in their game of choice. This year, in the Philippines leg of the tournament, it was Team Secret and Blacklist Rivalry who took the crowns in Valorant and DOTA, respectively.
Blacklist Rivalry trumped the local heroes, Execration, with Abed “Abed” Yusop emerging as their top performer, averaging 8.5 kills and 14 assists in the series. On the Valorant side, Team Secret were the favourites and they did not disappoint. Thanks to Adrian “invy” Reyes’ exploits in the series, the team defeated their Japanese rivals, FAV gaming. This was Team Secret’s first LAN trophy and Predator Shield since the inception of its VALORANT team. In addition to the glory, both these teams also walked away with a $65,000 prize and the shiny Predator Shield.
| Valorant | DOTA 2 | ||||
| Placement | Team Name | Prize (USD) | Placement | Team Name | Prize (USD) |
| 1 | Team Secret | 65,000 + Predator Shield | 1 | Blacklist Rivalry | 65,000 + Predator Shield |
| 2 | FAV gaming | 20,000 | 2 | Execration | 20,000 |
| 3 | BOOM Esports | 7,500 | 3 | Team Aster | 7,500 |
| 3 | Team Flash | 7,500 | 3 | IHC Esports | 7,500 |
| Intel MVP-VALORANT | Jeremy“Jremy” Cabrera | 10,000 + Intel MVP Trophy | Intel MVP-Dota 2 | Marc Polo “Raven” Fausto | 10,000 + Intel MVP Trophy |
The organisers also rewarded the best individual performances, handing out a $10,000 award and the Intel MVP Trophy. As mentioned earlier, for Dota 2, it was awarded to carry player Polo “Raven” Fausto while in Valorant, it was awarded to duelist player Jeremy “Jremy” Cabrera.
With the end of Asia Pacific Predator League 2024, it was announced that the next edition of the Asia Pacific Predator League would be held in Malaysia, with the qualifiers starting at the end of this year, and the finals being held in early 2025. India has been on the rise in the world of eSports and it would be interesting to see what the ace eSports athletes from our home country are able to bring to the table next time around.
