Rising offlaner Nikko "Nikko" Bilocura's Doom powered Execration to a 2-0 sweep over Fnatic in the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) Season 2-Southeast Asia Upper Division tiebreaker to qualify for the second Major of the year on Saturday, May 22.
Nikko's signature Doom shone throughout the series, hitting multiple Doom disables on Fnatic cores as Execration entered the Wild Card stage of the WePlay AniMajor set in Kiev, Ukraine on June 2 to 13.
It was a big feat for one of the pioneer esports organizations in the Philippines as it marked its first Major qualification since the Boston Major in 2016.
However, the AniMajor could be the first-ever actual participation for the squad of player-turned-coach Kimuel "Kim0" Borromeo Rodis and manager Arvin "Beho" Risos after failing to make it to Boston due to visa issues.
Kim0 and his crew will have their hands full in AniMajor's Wild Card which has European powerhouses Team Secret and Nigma, ONE Esports Singapore Major champion Invictus Gaming and another Chinese team, and CIS squad AS Monaco Gambit.
Execration also breathed life to its The International 10 qualification bid by bagging 200 DPC points for finishing third in SEA Upper Division.
Nikko's Doom joined forces with Carlo "BDz" Manalo's Grimstroke as they effectively removed Ng "ChYuan" Kee Chyuan's Beastmaster and Kam "Moon" Boon Seng's Death Prophet in the Game 1-winning clash.
Using the Refresher Shard, Nikko went on to cast another Doom on Polo "Raven" Fausto's Medusa before Jinn "Palos" Lamatao's Drow Ranger and the rest of Execration destroyed Fnatic's throne against backdoor protection.
Nikko once again took charge in the thrilling Game 2 with his beefy Doom getting an early Refresher Orb to render at least two Fnatic heroes useless in crucial team fights.
With Nikko at the forefront along with Yuri "Yowe" Pacaña's Tiny, Execration executed a full team wipe of Fnatic in the 38th minute and forced the GG call to seal the comeback win.
Veteran support Ralph Richard "RR" Peñano's Snapfire also stepped up with pivotal Firesnap Cookie and Glimmer Cape saves.
It was a disappointing campaign for Fnatic which topped the Upper Division last season and play in the ONE Esports SG Major playoffs only to bow out early.
Djardel "Dj" Mampusti's team nonetheless stayed in the Upper Division for the next DPC season after The International 10.