SMART Omega Esports signed Cebuano coach Chris Ian Francis “CTY” Maldo for the upcoming The International 10 Southeast Asia regional qualifiers, Thursday.
CTY previously coached LGD International which was under Chinese organization LGD Gaming which also houses Dota 2 powerhouse PSG.LGD. He also manned the helm when the squad transitioned to Vice Esports which then picked up Filipino players and qualified for the Dota Pro Circuit 2021: Season One-Southeast Asia upper division.
“The Omega Esports fam is excited to announce that we’ve acquired Chris Ian Francis ‘CTY’ Maldo as the team’s Head Coach for the upcoming TI10 SEA Qualifiers,” said Omega in a Facebook post.
“Hailing from Cebu, Coach CTY is known for cultivating Dota 2 rising stars and has refined several renowned teams in the scene. With his experience and vast knowledge in Dota 2, we surely believe that we have a huge chance on claiming the one and only The Internationals 10 slot.”
Familiarity might be one of the key factors in the signing as CTY previously handled Omega support Mark “Shanks” Redira and carry Justin “Tino” Grimaldo back in Cebu. Add to that the fact the Smart-backed squad’s two stars in Mc Nicholson “Mac” Villanueva and Bryle “cml” Alvizo are also Cebuanos.
Omega Esports – after spending the DPC Season One down the lower division – managed to qualify for the upper division come Season Two. There, the team managed to pick up huge victories over the now TI-bound T1 and BOOM Esports, to finish at the sixth spot and salvage their spot in the upper division.
The team will go up against regional powerhouse Fnatic in the upper bracket of the SEA regional qualifiers which has one ticket to The International 10.
The SEA qualifiers will run from June 30 to July 3.
