After taking a setback, the only way to go is to bounce back.
And that's what TNC Predator vowed to do in the next season of the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC)-Southeast Asia after failing to qualify for the first Dota 2 Major tournament this year.
TNC's hopes of making it to the ONE Esports Singapore Major presented by PGL was snuffed out when the Karl "Karl" Baldovino and Carlo "Kuku" Palad-led T1 shocked Neon Esports, 2-1, on Thursday night, Feb. 25.
The Filipino powerhouse squad, which was the last SEA team to win a Major with a victory at the Chengdu Major in November 2019, finished with a 4-3 record in the eight-team, six-week Upper Division.
Fierce rival Fnatic (6-1), T1 (5-2) and Neon (5-2) earned the right to represent the region in the $500,000 SG Major wherein the 18 best teams in the world will clash on March 27 to April 4.
Still, TNC was grateful for the learning experience it went through in the first season.
"Although we did not manage to qualify for the Major this time, we are thankful, as always, for the experience and the opportunity," the team said in a statement posted on Facebook.
A direct invite to the regional league, TNC had a rough start as it suffered a shocking sweep at the hands of qualifier Execration, 2-0.
TNC rebounded at the expense of Vice Esports, 2-1, but faltered again versus the dark horse Neon, 1-2.
The PH squad got its bearings back with a 2-1 victory over T1 followed by a 2-0 sweep of Boom Esports where Gabbi and Tims unleashed their insane Morphling-Earthshaker combo with Aghanim's Shard, which was later nerfed by Valve.
TNC made it three wins in a row with a 2-0 demolition of Vietnam's 496 Gaming, but absorbed a crucial 1-2 loss to rival Fnatic to close the season despite a strong start behind its Morphling-Spiritbreaker duo.
It was an impressive campaign for TNC at the least, and that motivates them to make a comeback in the next season.
"You know the drill, we may stumble at the beginning but we #AlwaysRise in the end. See you guys at DPC Season 2!"
TNC was also grateful to its legion of fans who supported them throughout their campaign.
"We want to express our deepest thanks to all the fans who supported us during our Season 1 run."