MINESKI Philippines is gearing up for a series of finals in the National Interschool Cyber League (NICL) this month.
The NICL is a banner program under Mineski’s Youth Esports Program (YEP) and is the first major collegiate Esports league in the Philippines with virtual multigame tournaments, featuring Valorant, Dota 2 and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang.
Qualifiers kicked off last April 13 and the NICL received 920 active player registrations spread across 184 teams, 170 unique schools and 81 YEP chapters across Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
Of the 184 teams, 76 registered for Valorant and another 76 registered for Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. Thirty-two teams registered to compete in Dota 2.
Players and their respective teams from all over the country battled it out through rounds of qualifiers, semifinals and the recently concluded regionals. All these lead to the highly anticipated finals, where the best teams from different universities will be competing for the first-ever NICL Championship title for their respective games.
The Valorant semifinal round opened on Independence Day Saturday with the finals set on Sunday. The Dota 2 semifinals are on June 19 and the finals on June 20.
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang closes the 2021 NICL with semifinals on June 26 and the finals on June 27.
“We envision YEP to be an inclusive platform that nurtures Esports players and fans in the collegiate level,” said Mark Navarro, country manager of Mineski Philippines. “NICL is one such program that creates a competitive atmosphere, yet gamers of all skill levels and backgrounds are welcome.”
YEP is a joint initiative between Mineski Philippines and the Philippine Collegiate Champions League.