TNC brings back Febby to lead new Filipino-Malaysian roster
Filipino esports organization TNC Predator announced a new Dota 2 roster under the leadership of returning captain Kim “Febby” Yong-min on Wednesday. The new roster comprises four up-and-coming players from the Philippines and Malaysia.
The member of TNC Predator’s new roster include newcomer carry Levi “YoungGod” Lagaret, former Execration midlaner Yuri Dave “Yowe” Pacaña, and Malaysian offlaner Lee “X1aOyU” Qian Yu.
Also joining them is former OB Esports x Neon standout Prieme Ejay “PlayHard” Banquil, who will be filling the position 4 support role. Meanwhile, Febby will be filling position 5 support while captaining the mainly young-roster team.
The new roster
Dota 2 Veteran Febby was released from his duties in March this year after being a member of the team’s active roster in January. Previously, Febby participated in The International 10, coaching TNC Predator’s Team Undying in 2020.
PlayHard is the only player with more than three full years of experience other than Febby. He made his first appearance in 2014, playing for a relatively unknown Mineski squad and made his way into fame in recent years with Geek Fam and OB Esports x Neon.
Yowe and X1aOyU both began their proper competitive career in late 2019. They became active in the Southeast Asian region since then. They also competed in the last season of DPC as part of Team Executive and Mystery.
YoungGod is the freshest man on the team. He has only participated in a handful of events in 2019 and has never been on a stable roster. His latest notable appearance was when he was competing at the Ewin Challenge Cup for Tiger God.
‘A new direction’
TNC Predator said they were taking “a new direction” with their line-up for the upcoming 2021-2022 Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) season following the release of their former roster to free agency in September.
“This season, we will face a big challenge as [Southeast Asia] will be stacked and full of powerhouse teams,” TNC Predator said in a statement. “For the past years, our team always had high-profile players but this time, we want to move in a different direction by picking uprising talents from the region and team them up with a veteran leader in the form of our new captain, Febby.”
TNC Predator has, however, built a roster with a similar “formula”. In 2016 and 2017, they claimed success by becoming one of the best teams in Southeast Asia with rosters comprising aspiring players under a veteran leadership.
TNC Predator, with Filipino players such as Carlo “Kuku” Palad, Marc Polo “Raven” Fausto, and Timothy “Tims” Randrup under the leadership of foreign captains Jimmy “DeMoN” Ho and Sivatheeban “1437” Sivanathapillai, was one of the most feared teams in the region.
“The road may be tough for us this season but we believe that with the right mindset, attitude, and discipline, our team will be able to go toe-to-toe with the best teams in the region and eventually in the global stage,” added TNC Predator.
What’s next for TNC Predator
TNC Predator is competing in Division I of the 2021-2022 DPC’s Southeast Asian regional league. The 2021-2022 season is split into three Tours, namely the Fall, Winter, and Spring. Meanwhile, the regional leagues are set to be held from November 2021 to July 2022.
