A couple of weeks back, NoMets leader Ding Lao shocked the local gaming scene when he announced the formation of new team composed of BoyzTrek players. The announcement implied that NoMets no longer existed and that he was retiring. The team he formed is composed of players he personally hand-picked. These consisted of former NoMets teammates Yuki Perez and Burnz Flores. He also recruited former DC Clan players Bhoymax Julakit, Franco Villaroman, and Topher Lopez. Completing the team is their sixth man Louie Narshall.

Two Saturdays ago, Chill debuted on the first day of the Kadayawan DotA Tournament Eliminations. They beat the famed TC Clan to be declared as that day’s best DotA Team, and earned the right to fight it out with CORPOration this Saturday to be declared as this season’s best DotA Team.

Before they go into battle, let us meet the team formed out of drunkenness and built on camaraderie… Team CHILL.

Full Name: Ridgeway Quinit Julakit
Nicknames: Bhoymax, Langga
Age: 20
Birthday: December 26, 1986
Profession: Student, AB Psychology 3 at the AdDU
Favorite Hero: Faceless Void

Full Name: Christopher Henry M. Lopez
Nicknames: Topher, Top, Bhe
Age: 23
Birthday: October 6, 1983
Profession: Student, BSBA Management 4 at the AdDU
Favorite Hero: Sven

Full Name: Bernard Dale A. Flores
Nicknames: Burnz, Bibi
Age: 19
Birthday: March 1, 1988
Profession: Student, BS Entrepreneurship 2 at the AdDU
Favorite Hero: Queen of Pain

Full Names: Rovic John Perez / Yukihiro Hasegawa {unavailable for interview}
Nicknames: Yukz, Daddy
Birthday: December 1988
Profession: Daddy, Certified Professional Bum
Favorite Hero: Sven

Full Names: Franco Z. Villaroman
Nicknames: Cocoy, ƒƒ
Age: 17
Birthday: October 12, 1989
Profession: Student, BS Entrepreneurship 1 at the AdDU
Favorite Hero: Mirana Nightshade

Full Name: Louie Narshall
Nickname: Lou
Age: 18
Birthday: November 2, 1988
Profession: Student, BS Management
Favorite Hero: Sven

Bhoymax started playing DotA on November 2003 upon the invitation of Ding. Less than a year after, Topher and Burnz also learned how to play the game. And about two years ago, Cocoy and Louie also joined the fray. Topher continues to play DotA as he is already “addicted” to it. Burnz and Bhoymax continue to play because they both enjoy joining competitions. They both hope to be part of a team that can be competitive not just in Davao City. While Topher and Cocoy do not play other games, Burnz also plays O2 Jam regularly. Both Bhoymax and Yuki play many other computer games such as World of Warcraft, Ragnarok, and RF. All, however, agree that DotA is incomparable to other games. Cocoy and Bhoymax attribute DotA current popularity to the significant number of tournaments of the the game.

Burnz shares that time flies fast when he is playing DotA. Unfortunately, his money also flies fast along with his time. Bhoymax shares that the best thing about DotA is how it promotes camaraderie. Bhoymax, Top, and Cocoy all cite that the worst thing about DotA is how the game’s direction can suddenly change with the blink of an eye. Sometimes, a team can be on the verge of winning, but a simple seemingly inconsequential decision can change that and lead to disastrous results. While they all thoroughly enjoy the game very much, only Cocoy admits that DotA (along with the after DotA drinking sessions) has taken over his life. Burnz asserts that DotA does not command his life anymore, not after he met his “Bibi.” (ANUH?!) Bhoymax and Topher both say that DotA haven’t taken over their lives, but they also admit that it does consume much of their time.

Burnz shares that he developed his DotA skills by playing and practicing as much as he can. Bhoymax and Topher both agree that constant practice can greatly contribute towards better playing skills. Topher also emphasizes the importance of watching replays, and gaining new insights from these replays. He adds that when applying the things he learned from replays, he always adds something new to improve the things he learned. Louie agrees that watching replays can be helpful. Like their mentor Ding, Top asserts that there are things that one can learn while actually playing by simply applying logic. Burnz names his three sources for learning new strategies: Memel, Jojo, and their fiercest rival TC Clan. Cocoy believes that he was born gifted with the skills and mindset to be a good DotA player.

All five who were interviewed attributed their team’s existence to two things: Ding Lao, and the “kubo” where they hang out together. These guys were close friends even before they became teammates. They regularly hang out and have drinking sessions together. And it was during one of these drinking sessions when they had a moment of epiphany. Since they already “chilled” together, why not form a team together? They believe it is this very camaraderie and laid back attitude that give them the edge over other teams. When they play together, it’s like they’re only having a drinking session. And when things go bad, as friends, they don’t go pointing fingers at each other. As Cocoy puts is… “chill lang kami.” Though they take the game seriously, they don’t show it and never let it get in the way of their friendship.

While they play light-heartedly, they admit to learning a few life lessons along the way. Burnz focused on his newfound ability to strategize on-the-spot. According to him, he also developed patience when dealing with others and uncontrollable situations. Bhoymax also admits to developing self-discipline. Meanwhile, Top learned how to control his anger, and how to be more humble. From his experience while playing in Manila, Burnz realized that Davao teams should not be complacent. He underscored the fast evolution of the teams in Manila. He suggests that local teams should seek out to play against or at least be connected with Manila-based team so as not to be left behind. From the local competitions he has participated in, Bhoymax learned the importance of improvisation and exploring different hero combinations. More importantly, he now understands the value of teamwork. Top agrees that the value of teamwork is the greatest thing he learned from competing.

According to Bhoymax and Cocoy, the worst mistake that a newbie player or team can commit is to point fingers and accuse each other of a loss or mistake. Topher advices newbies to be aware of their lack of skills rather than pretend that they know more than what they actually know. Burnz thinks that newbies should not stagnate by just playing with other newbies. On the other hand, he also advices other players and teams “If you can’t beat themm then you don’t have the chance to join them.” Bhoymax, Topher, and Cocoy all advice other players and teams to “Chill with us.”

Top and Burnz believe that it is a long shot for pro gaming to prosper in Davao City and the Philippines. Burnz contends that there is lack in interested sponsors. While Top argues that “ang dami nang problema ang Pilipinas para problemahin pa yan” (the Philippines already has a lot of problems, for us to create another problem). Bhoymax disagrees on these points. He ascertains that pro gaming can prosper if only those concerned would allow it to prosper and give gamers the proper venues and opportunities to thrive.

As parting shots, the CHILL Boys had these to say…
Burnz: “Burnz with me Baby!”
Bhoymax: “Don’t problem the problem, let the problem problem itself.”
Topher: “If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best.”
Cocoy: “Chill lang while playing.”
Louie: “You don’t have to work that hard to be the best, just chill.”

Chill’s laidback attitude is definitely infectious. But whether or not it will prove to be effective… that remains to be seen. Watch out for Chill’s epic match against CORPOration this Saturday, 1 pm at the NCCC Mall of Davao City.

{Pictures of the gluttons boys up by tomorrow.}

This entry was posted on Monday, August 13th, 2007 at 3:51 am and is filed under DotA Allstars, Players, Teams, Tips and Tricks, Tournaments. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.