Remembering the team’s journey in the past year, while looking towards the future.

TNC started the previous year off with a strong start, thanks to winning the Grand Finals
of the WESG in January, bringing home the pride of being the best National Dota 2 team in the
world, and the substantial $800,000 prize pool. It was followed by a strong performance at the
StarLadder i-League StarSeries Season 3, where the team took a semi-final finish.

After that however, the team did go on a short slump, going out in the first round of the
Kiev Major at 9th-16th place despite a strong group stage, and losing out various qualifiers. Soon
enough, a change had to be made, and we had to say goodbye to Ryo “ryOyr” Hasegawa to make
room for renowned theory crafter Theeban “1437” Siva to take over the captain’s chair in May.

The team’s new captain quickly proved himself, with the team taking 2nd place at the
StarLadder i-League Invitational #2, going toe-to-toe in a gripping 5-game Grand Final with
future The International 7 winners, Team Liquid. Relative successes would also follow in the
lead-up to The International – 3rd place at Galaxy Battles, and taking the first qualifier slot to TI
7. At The International itself, the team performed admirably in the Group Stage, securing
themselves a start in the upper bracket – though they fell to LGD.ForeverYoung, who would
finish third overall, and were unable to repeat 2016’s success versus OG in the lower bracket.

After The International, despite less-than-favorable results, the roster decided to stick
together, choosing stability. Valve then ushered in the new Pro Circuit system, doing away with
the seasonal Majors and opening up tournaments for third party organizers – the team found
successes both inside and outside the Circuit: from outside the circuit, TNC was able to win their
showmatch versus Invictus Gaming.Vitality at The Manila Invitational. They also took home
China Top 2017 with a win over Vici Gaming.Thunder. Meanwhile, from within the Circuit,
TNC has taken a 2nd place at the MDL Macau Minor, securing 270 points and placing them
10th in the overall rankings.

It’s still a long, long road to The International 8, and we’re sure the team will do their
best and work hard to bring us more exciting matches and successes – starting off with their
direct invite to 2018’s first Major – Galaxy Battles Season 2, which the Philippines will be
hosting in January.