LESTER “C.O.W.” Garcia defeated Josh “52Blocks” Santos to claim the Tekken 8 championship at the Rotaract Rumble Gaming Tournament Vol. 1, held at Marvz’s Kitchen in Saipan Vegas on Saturday.
The best-of-five finale was a battle between the best of the best.
The first set was claimed by the character Feng, which was chosen by Santos, who kept the forward pressure by utilizing quick jabs and well-timed lows to poke his way to victory, 3-2.
Garcia adjusted his approach and quickly turned the tables in the second half with his chosen character, Claudio. Playing it frame by frame, he was able to disrupt most of Santos’ attacks while punishing each whiff with launchers followed by a string of combos to claim his first win, 3-1.
The back-and-forth exchange continued throughout the third set. Santos nearly pulled a comeback but was denied by Garcia who bagged his second consecutive win, 3-2.
Garcia continued the forward momentum in the fourth set, and, with the help of the walls, managed to pin Santos for most of the action, which was highlighted by “frame-trapping,” to secure the final set needed to win the match, 3-1, and the title.
“I feel great,” said Garcia. “I avenged my third-place finish from last year and I got my goal of winning gold — and avenged all my compatriots from the Feng menace, 52Blocks,” he added.
Garcia said he is grateful to the Saipan Tekken community. “We grind matches more so than anybody knows. Homegrown talent is what we stand for. Without them, I wouldn’t be able to perform this well,” he said.
Compared to last year, Garcia believe that “the esports community has definitely grown bigger than I can imagine for Saipan. I’m looking forward, as a representative of the [Northern Marianas Esports Federation], to see what the future holds for Saipan and esports in the CNMI — homegrown stages and internationally.”
Simon Necesito, who is now a representative of the Northern Marianas Esports Federation, also noted the growth of the esports community compared to last year.
“I think this was a great moment because there were so many successes to celebrate: it was the first fighting game tournament for Rotaract in 2025 and it was NMEF’s first event as well,” Necesito added. “We saw the strength of the gaming community. We had people who had never even tried Tekken 8 or Smash Ultimate who were amazed by the hype surrounding the event. Given the enthusiastic reception from players and spectators, they are already anticipating when the next tournament will take place.”
NMEF also launched its YouTube channel, attracting viewers from Tinian, Rota and Guam, cheering for the competitors.
“As a member of both Rotaract and NMEF, it was amazing to see the organizations come together to create something worthwhile,” Necesito said. “In the end, it was a team effort on all fronts, and we look forward to seeing what’s in store for both Rotaract and NMEF in the gaming scene. 2025 is looking to be a great year for esports and this is definitely one for the books. We also want to thank Marv’s Kitchen for allowing us to host the event.”
The other event sponsors were Triple J, PHI Pharmacy, Megabyte, and Marianas Variety.
Lester “C.O.W.” Garcia, left, and Patrick “KKURA” Pagdato are the Tekken 8 and Super Smash Bros Ultimate champions of the Rotaract Rumble Gaming Tournament Vol. 1 held Saturday at Marvz’s Kitchen of Saipan Vegas.
Photo by James F. Sablan Jr.
Marvz’s Kitchen at Saipan Vegas hosted the Rotaract Rumble Gaming Tournament Vol. 1 on Saturday.
The local esports community is growing, according to esports enthusiasts.
Esports enthusiasts are already looking forward to the next tournament.
