The Sibol national team’s very first participation in the 19th Asian Games ended in a sour note as the PH esports contingent exited empty-handed after its last podium hope in Dota 2 and Player’s Unknown Battleground Mobile bowed out of contention on Friday, Sept. 29.

Both Sibol teams suffered early exits in the quadrennial meet with the Dota 2 team splitting its assignments in the group stage while the PUBG team settling for a fourth place finish in its group in the knockout phase.

The Sibol Dota 2, composed of players from Polaris Esports along with Bleed Esports star Djardel “DJ” Mampusti actually had a strong start to the day after topping India in its one-game series.

The medal hopes for the team deemed to be the delegation’s strongest chance of landing a podium, however, hit a snag after falling to Kyrgyzstan in the second game.

Sibol’s best finish in the Asiad came in the Dreams Three Kindoms 2 event where the national team composed of shoutcasters-turned-athletes Caisam “Wolf” Nepueto, Manjean Faldas, Karl “Rockhart” To, Mark Adrian “Butters” Jison, Shin Boo Ponferrada and Neil “Midnight” De Guzman finished fifth in the tournament.

They are also the lone PH team to advance to the playoffs in the Games and could have even gotten the country a shot of the podium if not for a heartbreaking 2-0 sweep loss at the hands of Hong Kong.

PH representatives in Street Fighter V, Arena of Valor and FIFA Online four all came up short.

Sibol’s dry spell in the Asiad put a dampener to Sibol’s strong showing so far this year after a six-medal haul in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games – landing in the podium in all of the esports titles it participated in – and an overall championship in the IESF World Esports Championships in Iasi, Romania after winning a gold and a silver.