THOUGHTS | THE PLAYTIME ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM

I’ve been watching a lot of DOTA 2 lately, particularly SEA DOTA, and ever since OG turned into an all-Pinoy roster, I’ve been locked in. Most of my viewing has been through the Kuyanic YouTube channel, and honestly, I’ve found myself rooting for any team with a Filipino player on it. Well… except Virtus Pro. I’m an OG fan, and I just can’t bring myself to cheer for Fly. It’s nothing personal against him, but he just can’t seem to catch a break, especially after the unfortunate disbandment of Evil Geniuses.

Right now, there’s a fascinating rivalry brewing in the SEA region, specifically between the two other top all-Pinoy teams. It’s friendly, but very competitive — and so far, incredibly one-sided.

Playtime, formerly known as Kukuys, is stacked with some of the biggest names in Philippine DOTA 2. On paper, they should be dominating. But lately, they’ve been struggling, and even having a sponsor hasn’t really turned things around. Don’t get me wrong, they are still one of the best teams in the region — but at this point, it feels like they need to prove themselves by finally beating Execration.

The rivalry really sparked when Kuku confidently said on stream that Playtime could beat Execration. Since then, the two teams have faced each other twice in 2026, and across four games, Playtime has yet to win a single one.

So one morning — with no Wi-Fi and only mobile data — I decided to “stat down” and dig into Liquipedia to see what’s really going on. While kills, deaths, and assists tell part of the story, what matters more is player damage and net worth by position. The results may seem obvious to the eye test, but looking at the numbers makes the gap even clearer.

EXECRATION VERSUS PLAYTIME

GAME AVERAGES

SEA CQ DREAMLEAGUE S28 (2 GAMES)

SEA CQ ESL BIRMINGHAM (2 GAMES)

EXECRATION WON ALL FOUR GAMES

EXCECRATION	POSITION	K	D	A	DMG	NET	GPM
PALOS	1 | CARRY	7.00	3.25	11.25	37.50	36.43	774.00
BOB	2 | MID	6.50	3.25	14.25	32.35	30.38	650.75
TINO	3 | OFF	5.75	4.75	14.25	22.05	26.50	571.75
SHANKS	4 | SOFT	5.00	6.75	14.75	16.48	18.40	392.25
CML	5 | HARD	3.50	7.75	16.00	14.63	16.93	366.50
PLAYTIME	POSITION	K	D	A	DMG	NET	GPM
GABBI	1 | CARRY	9.25	4.75	9.00	34.70	35.95	756.75
ARNEL	2 | MID	7.50	3.75	12.00	27.90	29.03	615.25
JG	3 | OFF	2.75	5.50	14.50	16.78	22.08	475.25
DJ	4 | SOFT	4.00	4.50	15.50	16.60	15.05	316.75
KUKU	5 | HARD	2.25	9.25	16.00	10.40	13.55	290.50

DISCREPANCY	K	D	A	DMG	NET	GPM
GABBI	2.25	-1.50	-2.25	-2.80	-0.47	-17.25
ARNEL	1.00	-0.50	-2.25	-4.45	-1.35	-35.50
JG	-3.00	-0.75	0.25	-5.28	-4.43	-96.50
DJ	-1.00	2.25	0.75	0.13	-3.35	-75.50
KUKU	-1.25	-1.50	0.00	-4.23	-3.38	-76.00

Look, I’m not a DOTA 2 player. I was barely even a DOTA 1 player. My best heroes back then were Vengeful Spirit, Spirit Breaker, and Bloodseeker, in an era when positions weren’t even a thing.

That said, I understand stats, and more importantly, I understand context.

I’m not going to be overly harsh on JG, especially since by the time this blog goes live, Playtime might already be running a different roster. Still, from a psychological standpoint, his situation has to be brutal. Kuku, Gabbi, and Armel have been teammates across multiple iterations, and DJ is practically in the same tier as Abed. JG is the odd one out. He’s basically a Topson-type player, except instead of being empowered to do his thing, he’s shackled by the fact that most of his teammates are far more accomplished than he is.

That dynamic shows up clearly in the numbers. When you look at Playtime’s stats, it often feels like they’re playing with two core players and three supports.

That also explains why DJ’s numbers are on par with Shanks’. It’s not just because DJ is the lone bright spot on the roster — it’s because he effectively turns into a core player during the late game for Playtime.

Instead of farming, JG looks like he’s mentally running through a checklist of what needs to be done. Instead of prioritizing items, he’s willing to sacrifice his life just to make sure the play goes through. Don’t get me wrong — that mindset is valuable. It’s team-first, disciplined, and often necessary.

But once the game reaches a certain point, that can’t be enough. He also has to be there to land the spells and unleash real, game-altering damage. And this is where the context matters again. He’s playing alongside Kuku, Gabbi, Armel, and DJ — players who are more than capable of making the right reads, taking risks, and executing under pressure. They don’t need JG to carry the burden of doing everything correctly.

There is an obvious fix here: JG needs time to polish his craft in an environment where he can grow alongside his teammates, not feel dwarfed by them. Beyond decision-making, he needs confidence. Whether that means returning to Playtime as a better version of himself or resurfacing on another team where he can truly play his own game, a hiatus feels like the right move.

Of course, that doesn’t magically solve everything. Execration and Playtime are just two of several SEA teams — along with squads like Team Nemesis and Reconix — all trying to replicate the OG formula. The SEA server is finally starting to feel dangerous again, closer to its old form, but the region still hasn’t proven itself on the biggest stage, not since the Fnatic and TNC days.

But now that JG is out, the bigger question for Playtime is this: who becomes the next scapegoat?

At some point, a team like this has to establish a clear hierarchy. One leader makes the calls, and everyone else commits to following them. That also means the team’s admins and coaching staff have to be fully aware of who is supposed to take charge once the game goes live. You can’t have five veterans reading the map differently and expecting everything to magically fall into place.

And this is why I’ve always hated the word synergy. It’s a big, scary buzzword that gets thrown around to make everyone sound serious without actually explaining the problem. If things aren’t working, it’s not always a “synergy” issue.

Sometimes, it’s just communication.

Who’s calling the shots? Who has the final say when things go wrong? Who gets overridden, and who doesn’t? Until Playtime answers those questions, it won’t matter who fills the open slot. The names may change, but the pattern won’t.

Here’s hoping that changes soon. I want to see SEA teams hoop European ass at the next TI. Because if there’s one thing DOTA 2 needs right now, it’s for the most cancerous region in the game to completely mess up the rest of the world.