Onyx Paradox has become the first Mobile Legends team from Bhutan to compete in an offline esports tournament. In offline tournaments, players gather physically at a specific venue to compete on the same local network. Although they fell short of the championship title, the team secured second place among nearly 600 teams at the Arunoday ESports Championship held in Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh.
Onyx Paradox faced India’s Ansu team in the semi-finals on Friday in a best-of-five series. After winning three matches, the Bhutanese team advanced to the finals.
Yesterday, they took on India’s GodLike team in a best-of-seven showdown. Despite putting up a strong fight, Onyx Paradox lost the series 4-1, finishing as the tournament’s runner-up and winning a cash prize of Nu 50,000.
The championship title carried a prize of 100,000 rupees, while third and fourth place received 30,000 and 20,000 rupees respectively.
Onyx Paradox qualified through open qualifiers held in January and spent nearly three months preparing for the competition. Players say the experience has been both challenging and valuable.
Ngawang Rigsel Dorji, one of the players said, “Although we did not achieve our goal of becoming the champion, we still did our best and I am proud of us. We can improve our synergy and work more as a team together.”
Kezang Ngeedup, another player said, “We gained a lot of experience from this tournament and we learned that we need to be more prepared next time. Some of our player felt pressured and overwhelmed, so we need to improve our mindset, consistency, preparation for next time.”
Likewise, Ngawang Dorji said, “This was our first time competing at this level. We had a difficult time but we enjoyed it. Although we could not win, the experience and lessons that we gained are more valuable than the prize, and we hope to use them in future matches.”
The winning team praised Bhutan’s performance, acknowledging Onyx Paradox as a strong competitor.
Akivi Chophi, a player from GodLike Team, India said, “They were really strong and we had a hard time against them. It was fun playing against them and we hope to see them again in the future.”
Meanwhile, the tournament organiser said the championship aims to expand opportunities in competitive gaming across the region.
Vengia Nachong, Director of Arunoday Esports said, “This is the first Arunoday Esports Championship. Our goal is to create a parallel platform on a national and international level for people in Arunachal and for people participating in this event. I am happy to have hosted a team from Bhutan.”
Organised by the Arunoday Esports, the tournament featured multiple games of Mobile Legends, e-chess, and e-football, attracting hundreds of teams from across the region.
Deki Lhazom
