There are countries where Dota 2 is popular, and then there is the Philippines.

The fanbase is huge, the arena crowds have a reputation of their own, and Filipino players have been part of some of SEA’s biggest moments for more than a decade. So picking only five names is not easy, but these are hard to argue with.

  1. Abed

For international fans Abed was the first Filipino superstar that they truly followed.

He was the player to break 10,000 MMR and later 11,000 which immediately put his name in the history books. After that Abed had runs, with Fnatic, Evil Geniuses and Shopify Rebellion.

For years, he was one of those mids you simply expected to see at big tournaments.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPTW82LtTCc

  1. DJ

DJ is the kind of player support mains love.

He rarely needed flashy stats to show his value. One good initiation could decide an entire fight. His Enigma at the Manila Major became iconic, and his run with Fnatic to fourth place at TI6 is still one of the strongest international results by a Filipino player.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SuxlU2irSg

  1. TIMS

TIMS made chaos look useful.

His job was often to move first, find an opening and force the opponent to react. Earth Spirit became closely associated with him, but what really made TIMS stand out was how often he created something from almost nothing. Winning the MDL Chengdu Major with TNC in 2019 was the biggest reward for that style.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8KAjH_QFRs

  1. Armel

Armel was never the type of midlaner you wanted to face when you were hoping for a lane.

At his best he had the ability to take a lead and make it a very difficult game for all the players, on the other side. He was part of TNCs team that won the Chengdu Major. Later he played for Fnatic, Team Secret and Aurora.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdZQt54wkIE

  1. Kuku

Kuku has been around long enough to become part of the identity of Filipino Dota.

He played, captained and led teams through several different eras of SEA Dota. But one moment still stands above the rest: TNC eliminating OG at TI6. His Huskar was central to that upset, and the series is still remembered as one of the biggest shocks in TI history.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FlI1bB4weE

The Philippines has produced many more great players than these five. But if someone wants a quick introduction to the country’s impact on Dota 2, this is a very good place to start.