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| Kukuys was just built to have some fun, but a year later, it got its first major breakthrough. Ivan Saldajeno |
MANILA--While boasting arguably the biggest names in the Philippine DOTA 2 scene, Kukuys is not exactly built to be a legitimate club that would compete in major tournaments locally and internationally.
Armel Tabios told Dugout Philippines on Saturday night that Kukuys is more of a community showing some love for the esports title than a competitive squad.
"Part tayo ng solidong community. Kahit walang team, laging nakasuporta ang mga yan," Tabios said.
Carlo "Kuku" Palad, the de jure team captain, even said that, despite the squad being named after him, he should not even be considered the frontman.
"Si Yowe (Yuri Pacana) talaga yung pinaka-boss namin. Parang naglalaro kami under sa kanya. Siya yung nakaisip nung name," Palad said.
So how does this unique club setup work?
"Everyday people kasi kami ngayon. Nakikisalamuha kami sa sinu-sinong tao sa stream," Tabios said.
He further revealed that Kukuys was founded in 2024 to provide fun content for the DOTA 2 fans, basically turning them into some sort of "random" streamers, even if they are forces to reckon with over time.
"Binuild lang siya mostly for content. Syempre, andoon pa rin yung competitiveness at saka yung professionalism, pero hindi siya yung super focused katulad nung may iba kang org," Tabios said.
It was only after a few streams together that Kukuys decided to take it to the next level by competing in major DOTA 2 events.
The team eventually decided to bring in a roster consisting of Palad, Tabios, Kim "Gabbi" Santos, Julius "JG" Galeon, and DJ Mampusti, with Lewis Delos Santos as the sixth man.
Gabbi, though, was not around at the SM North EDSA Annex Atrium in Quezon City on Saturday night when Kukuys faced off with current Philippine DOTA 2 stronghold Execration in the grand finals of the Predator League Philippines, paving the way for Lewis to get the start.
Although falling to a 0-2 hole early, Kukuys showed heart, and behind a solid macro play in Game 5, it completed the reverse sweep to become the new Predator League PH champ.
"Masaya ako kasi yung apat na players, lumaban hanggang dulo," Palad said.
Tabios, on the other hand, had the fans to thank, considering that most of them are already part of the club's community.
"I'm happy mostly dahil sa fans na grabe yung suporta sa Kukuys community," he said.
However, when both were asked if they wanted a major esports organization to absorb them, lock, stock, and barrel, both former TNC standouts gave different answers.
Palad said that he is open to entertaining offers from the said bigger clubs.
"Baka may kumontak sa amin na org siguro, and ta-try namin yung best namin sa mga kina-qualify naming tournaments," he said, adding that at least a Top 4 finish could be enough to gain interest from major outfits.
However, Tabios is not keen about it, considering that, since they have more freedom than before, a major org stepping in could cause conflicts with their individual backings.
"Hindi siya ideal sa mga streamers katulad namin kasi kanya-kanya kaming sponsors. Parang OK na kami dito. Siguro, kung may mag-approach man, parang promotion lang," he said.
For now, Kukuys will savor this major victory as they now look forward to the Asia-Pacific Predator League next year in New Delhi, alongside Execration and Team Nemesis.
