Update (Jan. 30, 2019)

ArkAngel of the Philippines clinched fifth place in the Legion of Champions III (LoC) Grand Finals in Bangkok, Thailand. The quintet faced 12 eSports teams from 11 Asian markets, and won USD 900 for their performance. Lenovo and Intel, organizers of LoC III, hope the tournament becomes a way to help “transform the future of eSports” by equipping fans and gamers with the right gear for their gaming needs.

Korea’s Awe Star emerged victorious in the Grand Finals. They walked away with total prize money of USD 7,000, along with USD 5,000-worth of Legion Y530 notebooks. Meanwhile, Taiwan’s Diamond and Thailand’s Mega Esports came in first and second runners-up, respectively. They took home USD 3,000 and USD 2,000, respectively. Interested gamers can check out the final rankings in this link.

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By now, the Philippines has become no stranger to eSports tournaments. In the case of Legion of Champions III this year, ArkAngel eSports will try to snag the gold.

If you’re going to Thailand anytime soon, you might want Bangkok in your itinerary. And if you consider yourself an eSports enthusiast, Legion of Champions III 2019 (LOC III) might be to your fancy. Lenovo and Intel’s eSports tournament boasts a whopping USD $35,000 prize pool, which approximates to PHP 1.9-million up for grabs. Legion of Champions will gather players at Central Plaza Ladprao, Bangkok, from Jan. 25 to Jan. 27, 2019.

The Philippines’ very own ArkAngel will be competing against 60 eSports players from 11 countries along the Asia Pacific. Competing countries include newcomers Korea, Japan, and India. Their teams will be competing alongside mainstays Vietnam, Thailand, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong/Macau, Singapore, and the Philippines.

ArkAngel’s LOC Grand Finals team include Cristhoper Jordan “Raux” Pamintuan, Keefe Jyro “Zensho” Pascual, Robert Dan “Trebor” Mansilungan, Nickelson “Nickstah” Yanga, and Cedrik “Ivalice” Santos. And while ArkAngel has a number of teams in its eSports roster, getting into the LOC Grand Finals is no piece of cake. In fact, their team had to endure a grueling five-round qualifying tournament last Nov. 18 to Dec. 9. This meant having to dominate 97 other teams for a spot in the grand finals.

Legion of Champions III 2019: The ‘Biggest’ So Far

Lenovo touts LOC III as its “biggest” yet, and this may come from multiple dimensions. On the prize end, the USD $35,000 prize pool appears to be the largest amongst previously-held LOCs. According to Lenovo, this year’s LOC Champions will bring home USD $7,000 in cash and USD $5,000 worth of Legion Y530 laptops. Meanwhile, the first and second runners-up will be bringing home USD $3,000 and USD $2,000, respectively.

This may fall in line with Lenovo and Intel’s push to provide a more efficient and more accessible gaming environment to players through their products. Moreover, part of this push appears to include partnerships within the gaming ecosystem. Lenovo’s Michael Ngan and George Chacko both cited the growth of eSports in the Asia Pacific as a means for them to tap into their audience’s needs.

“Competitive gaming has become a hallmark in the Asia Pacific region and we are happy to say that the LOC has become a major annual highlight,” Ngan, who serves as the Lenovo Philippines Country Manager, said. “We’re proud to be part of our local teams’ eSports journey by providing them a platform to enhance and hone their skills.”

Good Preparation For eSports SEA Games 2019?

Local teams participating in various eSports ventures can be good preparation for this year’s Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games). We should especially consider how teams competing in eSports SEA Games 2019 may be able to win six (6!) gold medals in various categories. These include PC Games, Mobile Games, and Console Games. And while five (5) of six (6) games have been revealed, getting experience actively competing within the scene can help aspiring competitors.

Others might say competing in tournaments such as LOC can be good experience to “scout the competition.” After all, it’s also likely that countries may have their top eSports teams participate in the SEA Games. Of course, these are all speculation. Regardless, the thrill surrounding eSports tournaments will definitely seep through the competitive traditional sports scene. The thought of that alone can excite both new and veteran eSports fans.

Whether or not ArkAngel dominates in LOC won’t necessarily dictate the fate of the country in the coming SEA Games. However, aspiring competitors may want to stay tuned in the performance of both local and international teams to get a “feel” of the tournament scene. Hopefully, Lenovo and Intel’s aspirations can come true – in that eSports can become a much larger phenomenon for a lot more audiences.

Legion of Champions: Be A Part Of The Experience

According to Lenovo, 2018’s LOC II had participants close to 20,000 on-site attendees and 7,000 gamers. They added events such as LOC are critical for their company to be able to understand the needs of the gaming community and their motivations.

“The evolution of Lenovo Legion has been driven by feedback from the gaming community itself,” Lenovo said. “Its (Legion) latest innovations offer purposeful design to match the needs of the modern avid gamer – stylish and sophisticated on the outside, yet savage on the inside.”

If you attend this year’s LOC, you don’t necessarily need to be stuck as a spectator. You can be a part of the excitement courtesy of the event’s Rise of Legion walk-in tournaments. There are also cosplay events and a LAN party.

Get to know the event more in this link!