After being unable to secure their visas in time for the VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) 2021 Stage 3 Masters Berlin — Bren Esports’ VALORANT team could do nothing but watch it all play out on a screen. Their fate in qualifying for the next tournament was in the hands of fellow South East Asia (SEA) representatives, Paper Rex.
Knocked to the lower bracket, Paper Rex faced the SuperMassive Blaze (SMB) in a best-of-three series to determine who would be eliminated. Paper Rex forced overtime and won the first map (Haven) 14 – 12. However, SMB stole the second map (Breeze) with a dominant 13 – 2 victory. The third map (Split) was close, but SMB ultimately took the series, winning 13 – 10 over the Singapore-based team.
With Paper Rex bowing out of the tournament without a single series win, Bren Esports automatically had more points to qualify for the next stage. History was made as this roster became the first full-Filipino squad to represent SEA and compete at the most prestigious VALORANT tournament: VCT Champions.
"History was made as this roster became the first full-Filipino squad to represent SEA and compete at the most prestigious VALORANT tournament: VCT Champions."
The Secret is Out
(SOURCE: Team Secret)
A few days after Bren Esports secured their slot for VCT Champions, the organization announced they were parting ways with their VALORANT roster composed of Jessie “JessieVash” Cristy Cuyco, Jayvee “DubsteP” Paguirigan, Jim “BORKUM” Timbreza, Kevin “Dispenser” Te, Riley “witz” Go, and coach Gilbert “Gibo” Sales Jr.
The squad was subsequently picked up by the international organization Team Secret, which has esports rosters in Rainbow Six Siege, PUBG Mobile, League of Legends, Wild Rift, and Dota 2. The switch came as a surprise to many, but since the entire roster from Bren Esports was retained, the points to qualify for Champions carried over.
From Heartbreak to Breakthrough
In an interview with Upcomer’s Yinsu Collins and Tyler Erzberger, Jayvee “DubsteP” Paguirigan opened up about missing out on VCT Stage 3 Masters Berlin and his experience transferring to Team Secret.
“The only reason why we couldn’t come (to VCT Masters - Berlin) is because we processed our visa(s) like two to three days late,” he said.
However, DubsteP continued to point out that he was thankful to have qualified for Champions and moved to a bigger organization.
“Moving forward, it was okay for us. We received a new opportunity to go to VCT Champions. And on top of that, we are going under a different banner which is internationally recognized. It’s Team Secret.”
Despite the obstacles and unfortunate circumstances, DubsteP said he had a good feeling about the team’s future.
“[For] everything bad that happened, there was still a rainbow at the end of the road and it feels like things will start to change from here. As everyone says, for every bad day there will be good days somewhere,” he added.
When asked about the move from Bren Esports to Team Secret, the VALORANT superstar mentioned the team’s desire for more support. This lack of support is not new since VALORANT and esports, in general, are still growing in the Philippines.
According to DubsteP, “we felt like we could look for a new opportunity or something else. Because I felt like the local organization couldn’t support us like we wanted.”
With a new and bigger organization, Team Secret’s VALORANT team has received a huge amount of exposure and support from sponsors and fans locally and internationally.
Regardless of what organization they’ll represent, their presence in VCT Champions will go down in Filipino esports history.
“This is a historical event for Filipino FPS (first person shooters). This is the first time for a full five-Filipino squad to be going on a world stage for FPS.”
"Regardless of what organization they’ll represent, their presence in VCT Champions will go down in Filipino esports history."
Finally, DubsteP expressed the honor he feels to represent the Filipino people going up against 15 of the best VALORANT teams in the world.
“It’s always an honor for me to represent not only just the country, but also the people,” he concluded.
Meet the Team
Team Secret’s VALORANT roster is made up of FPS and esports veterans.
DubsteP and Dispenser were teammates in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) playing for Mineski and later on Team Aster before they moved to VALORANT. Likewise, BORKUM and witz were also teammates under Bren Esports’ CS:GO roster.
However, JessieVash stands out as he has played professionally under five other esports titles, namely Counter Strike 1.3, Dota 2, Overwatch, League of Legends, and Mobile Legends.
This isn’t JessieVash’s first major tournament either. In 2011, after joining Mineski’s Dota 2 team, he and his team represented the Philippines at The International Dota 2 major tournament.
Coach Gibo is no stranger to major tournaments either, especially those by Riot Games. In 2011, he made his appearance at the Riot’s League of Legends Worlds Season 1 where he played under Pacific Esports.
The team, under Bren Esports, made an impressive run during VCT Stage 3 Challengers where they boasted a 75%-win rate. Despite getting knocked to the lower bracket after losing 2 – 1 to Paper Rex, the squad went on to win all their games and swept Paper Rex 3 – 0 in the grand finals landing them the top seed as SEA’s representative for VCT Masters Berlin.
However, under the new organization, the squad hasn’t been looking too hot. Team Secret dropped out of the KJC eSports VALORANT Invitational at 5th or 6th place, and they lost 3 - 0 against South Built Esports at the Mineski VxV 2021 - Invitational Playoffs.
VALORANT on the Rise
As someone who plays the game, I’m very excited for the future of VALORANT and the esports scene in the Philippines. The free-to-play model of VALORANT has made the game accessible to most people, which can definitely be credited for its popularity in the country.
VALORANT tournaments can be found left and right. From intercollegiate tournaments held by AcadArena to household names such as Mineski, there is never a shortage of FPS action.
If you’re an avid fan, a competitive player, or just someone interested in learning about the game, don’t forget to tune in for VCT Champions, which will be streamed on Twitch from December 1 to 12.
Team Secret’s first game, on day 2, will be against the reigning victors of VCT Masters, Gambit Gaming. This will surely be a trial by fire as the Filipino squad gets its first taste of international competition.
(SOURCE: Riot Games)
Graphics by: Sofia Vinuya
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