Blacklist International and Canadian esports media and entertainment company Rivalry team up to form Blacklist Rivalry, a new team set to compete in the 2023 season of the Dota Pro Circuit.

“Our joint venture with Tier One represents another meaningful opportunity to support and engage with the Dota 2 community in Southeast Asia,” said Rivalry CEO Steven Salz. “We’re looking forward to working alongside its Blacklist team division to highlight the journey of these talented players with premium content for fans, and ensure the team is equipped for championship-caliber success.”

Blacklist Rivalry is a joint venture that aims to combine Blacklist’s team management expertise and championship-winning experience with Rivalry’s content production and creative resources to build fandom and awareness.

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The roster is composed of:
– Carlo “Kuku” Palad
– Timothy “Tims” Randrup
– Marc Polo “Raven” Fausto
– Nico “eyyou” Barcelon
– Karl “Karl” Baldovino

With some of the most recognized and revered names in all of Filipino Dota, and multiple appearances at The International under their belt, this team was built to honor the rich history of Dota in the Philippines.

With competitive excellence as the main focal point of Blacklist International’s teams and the popularity of Dota in the country, this team represents a dream come true, not just for the fans, but for the organization as well.

“Assembling a decorated team like this won’t guarantee us a win. There is still a lot of work to be done for sure but for us in Blacklist, we’re just happy that we’ll get to compete against the best in the world with this roster. This is a dream come true, yes, but we have much bigger dreams and aspirations for this group,” said Tryke Gutierrez, CEO, Tier One Entertainment.

Blacklist’s bid for a Dota 2 team kicked off after acquiring the DPC Division 1 slot from Singapore-based RSG. “I would like to thank my friend Jayf Soh of RSG for being such a professional throughout this whole deal process. We will continue what you started,” Gutierrez added, acknowledging the org’s CEO.

Gaming hardware brand Predator has also partnered with Blacklist Rivalry as a major sponsor, bolstering the team with high-end gaming PCs for their Predator-branded bootcamp.

“Predator Gaming is very happy to support Blacklist International. It has always been our goal to support esports from the grassroots to the professional level and we’re very honored to work with Tier One Entertainment and Blacklist International as they finally expand to Dota 2,” said Sue Ong-Lim, general manager, Acer Philippines.