TNC Predator’s Armel joins 10,000 MMR club with Arteezy, w33, and more

TNC Predator mid laner Armel Paul “Armel” Tabios has joined the 10,000 MMR club.

The ultimate goal of every professional Dota 2 player, aside from claiming The International title, is reaching a five-figure MMR. The Filipino player is the latest to do so, joining a number of Dota 2 elites in the process.

Armel is regarded as one of the best mid laners in southeast Asia. The player was only 18 years old when he decided to join TNC Predator in 2018. After joining the team, TNC Predator saw a huge improvement in its tournament results, becoming arguably the best team in southeast Asia.

With Armel on the team, TNC Predator has posted a number of strong placements in large tournaments. He established himself as a force at the 2018 Dota 2 Asia Championships by helping the team post a fourth-place finish. Armel also helped TNC Predator bring home several tournament titles, including ones from World Electronic Sports Games 2018, Asia Pacific Predator League 2019, and ESL One Hamburg 2019.

In 2019, Armel helped TNC Predator win the MDL Chengdu Major, the first time a southeast Asian team won a Dota 2 major. That victory has TNC Predator positioned at the top of the Dota Pro Circuit standings, and puts them at the front of the line for an invitation to The International 2020.

Arteezy, w33, and Abed among 10,000 MMR Dota 2 players

Armel is just the latest Dota 2 pro to join the 10,000 MMR club. A number of players have climbed their way up the ladder over the last three years, with many coming from southeast Asia.

Filipino player Abed “Abed” Yusop was the first to reach this mark. The current Evil Geniuses mid laner slipped down the leaderboard a bit, but cleared the bar again in 2019. He was followed by current OG off laner Yeik “MidOne” Nai Zheng, who became the second player to achieve this milestone. Rafli Fathur “Mikoto” Rahman of BOOM Esports is also over 10,000 MMR.

Also on the list are Abed’s current teammates Artour “Arteezy” Babaev and Roman “RAMZES666” Kushnarev, who was the first CIS player to reach 10,000 MMR. Nigma mid laner Aliwi “w33” Omar joined the club on February 28.

EHOME’s Cheng “NothingToSay” Jin Xiang and Virtus.pro’s Vladimir “No[o]ne” Minenko are also members of the 10,000 MMR club, as is Armel’s former teammate, Marc Polo Luis “Raven” Fausto.