Eva Elfie on Esports, Fan Culture, and the Filipino support
Photo from Eva Elfie / Instagram
Eva Elfie on Esports, Fan Culture, and the Filipino support
MANILA — Eva Elfie may be best known for her appearances outside the gaming world, but the popular internet personality has slowly carved a niche within esports — as a guest, a fan, and maybe, just maybe, a good luck charm.
In her short visit to the Philippines last June, just before the The International 2025 Southeast Asia Open Qualifiers kicked off with a Tagalog broadcast, Eva sat down with KuyaNic to talk Dota 2, seafood, Counter-Strike, and why she’s always seated where the winning team ends up.
“Team Liquid won. The Eva buff is working,” she laughs, recalling that he had supported Team Liquid PH during the finals of the MPL Philippines Season 15 last Sunday.
A tourist, a supporter, a fan
Eva is no stranger to the esports world. From The International in Singapore and Copenhagen to CS:GO events in Seattle and Rio de Janeiro, she’s a regular face in tournaments around the globe.
“I don’t play Dota,” she admits, “I prefer to watch. It’s more interesting for me.”
She’s dabbled in the game, even trying Crystal Maiden once as a support. “Now I understand why everybody is screaming for each other, it’s not an easy game. Yeah, it’s very competitive.”
Her esports team picks? “I supported Tundra in Singapore, then Team Spirit, and now Team Liquid. And they won. Yes!”
As for current favorite players , she named former Tundra player Anton “dyrachyo” Shkredov, Talon’s Nuengnara “23savage” Teeramahanon, Team Liquid’s Jonáš “SabeRLight-” Volek, and the ever-present Carlo “Kuku” Palad.
“You should be proud of him,” she adds about the TI6 standout, adding that the veteran was playing well for Talon.
A taste of Manila
During her stay, Eva sampled local cuisine, including “squid with rice,” fried onions in sauce, and kare-kare. While she passed on balut, she did try octopus eggs back in Thailand and now considers herself a fan of Southeast Asian seafood.
“I love the weather here. It’s warm. I like rice. I like soup. I like seafood,” she gushes. “It’s like my dream.”
She’s hoping to extend her trip for another week to explore the city and maybe head out to the islands.
“I want to stay here maybe for one week more. I want to see Manila because I just work a lot and I didn’t see the city yet,” she said. “And maybe you can recommend something for me where to go and see maybe some parks, some public places. And also, I want to go on some islands.”
That viral Aurora moment
If you’ve been on Philippine MLBB Facebook pages recently, chances are you’ve seen Eva’s photos with local org Aurora Gaming — the post that sparked thousands of reactions and comments.
“It was really surprising for me. I never saw so many reactions on Facebook. 90% of my audience there are Filipinos. Wow, guys. Thank you so much for following me.”
And then came the inside joke: “Early, early.”
“A lot of people keep commenting that. What’s the joke? I don’t get it!” she asked, with the comment section poking fun at her confusion.
Dota vs. Counter-Strike crowds
While Dota fans are known to be intense online, Eva says nothing compares to the live energy of a CS:GO crowd.
“They’re wild! Posters, screaming, laughing — it’s a different vibe,” she recalls. “You should visit a Counter-Strike tournament if you can. The audience is crazy supportive.”
Her favorite? “Rio de Janeiro. They’re cheering and screaming. They were singing in Portuguese, playing drums. It was craziest emotion in my life.”
Still, she holds a soft spot for The International 2022 in Singapore. “People were nice and, And the food is good. It was so cool,” she added, noting that she liked the activities and the general Singapore weather.
A message to fans — and a warning about fake pages
As her popularity rises in the Philippine esports scene, Eva also shared a friendly reminder to her growing fanbase:
“Please follow my real Facebook page. There are a lot of fake ones. I’m really afraid people will follow the wrong one.”
And as she wrapped up her interview, she left a heartfelt note for Filipino gamers:
“I really hope you’ll have more professional players in Dota 2, Counter-Strike, and MLBB. The Philippines is a really nice place for esports. I’m supporting you.”
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