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Dota 2 Teams to watch out for in SEA
Not sure who to root for in local soil in Dota 2? Need a quick guide on currently active teams in Southeast Asia? Check out this simple guide on who’s who.
Dota 2 is a wildly popular game among the masses and an even better spectacle as a go-to eSports program. From The Internationals tournaments to the most recent ESL One Genting 2017, the popularity of the long-time mobile online battle arena game is clear as the eyes can see, even to Stevie Wonder.
As with any bigwig sport, there are teams to cheer for and even boo at. Everyone knows about the teams in Europe and US like NaVi and Alliance, but what about the Southeast Asian teams?
Here is your list of teams from our side of the world you can keep tabs on. We will categorise teams under their respective countries.
Malaysia
We start off this feature with a Southeast Asian country who thrive on the game since its time as a WarCraft III mod: Malaysia. Orange Esports, the biggest outfit in the country, owe their legacy and their fame thanks to the very first Dota, after all.
WarriorsGaming.Unity
WarriorsGaming.Unity
© WarriorsGaming.Unity
Who Are They? WG.Unity have been playing since 2016, making them relatively young compared to the rest of the teams here. Their track record is rather impressive for a “fresh” team: they placed first in tournaments like the Kings Dota 2 Cup, ProDOTA Southeast Asia #2, and WCA 2016 SEA Qualifiers.
These Malaysian-based players fought their heart out during the ESL One Genting 2017 event. Despite not being placed high within the tournament, these up-and-comers are one to watch out for this year. Though it’ll be interesting to see how the new offlaner will perform; their go-to guy Kang left on January 11.
Team Members: ‘Ahfu’ Tue Soon Chuan (Captain), ‘Ahjit’ Lay Jay Son, ‘NaNa’ Kam Boon Seng, ‘Ben’ Yi Cheong Sim, ‘xNova’ Yap Jian Wei.
Notable Plays: They pulled off an outstanding upset at Boston Major 2016 against a prominent Chinese team Wings Gaming.
Clutch Gamers
Clutch Gamers
© Clutch Gamers
Who Are They? A Dota 2 team founded by Jaseem Khan from notable eSports stable Power Gaming. While based in Malaysia, the entire team is made up of pros from the Philippines. They’re also relatively fresh as they started playing in 2016.
Team Members: Kenneth ‘flysolo’ Coloma (Captain), ‘Boombacs’ Marvin Rushton, ‘Armel’ Paul Tabios, ‘ab1ng’ Avelino Parungao, ‘Rapy’ Rafael Sicat Palo.
Notable Plays: Their tussle against veterans Mineski proved that they can put up a fight, though we may have to see more matches from these pros in 2017 to gauge their performance in the long run.
Geek Fam
Geek Fam
© Geek Fam
Who Are They? Another new Malaysian team formed just for ESL One Genting 2017. The players however have been around the block for pretty long. John ‘Teehee’ Linuel has been around the block in teams like TnC back in 2015, while Byron Young ‘Syeonix’ used to be from legendary team Orange Esports.
Team Members: John ‘Teehee’ Linuel, Byron ‘Syeonix’ Young Meng Keen, Kim ‘Velo’ Tae-sung, Nikhil ‘Crimson’ Li-Wei Nijhar, Roger ‘Roddgeee’ Tan
Notable Plays: While they didn’t make much of an impact at ESL One Genting 2017, that didn’t slow down the momentum they gained from follow-up tournaments like the Starladder qualifiers.
Mineski-X
Mineski-X
© Mineski-X
Who Are They? An offshoot of the popular Filipino team, Mineski-X was created for the Shanghai Major last year. Within one year, this team has placed within the top 5 in the Boston Major 2016 SEA open qualifiers, as well as in The International 2016 SEA open qualifiers. Will 2017 be their time for the team to be more than just a second stringer in the original Mineski’s shadow?
Team Members: Joel ‘XtiNcT’ Chan (Captain), Chan ‘WinteR’ Litt Binn, Clement ‘InsidiousC’ Tan, ‘zai`’ Low Kheng Yang, Fadil ‘Kecik Imba’ Bin Mohd Raziff
Notable Plays: The team’s win against the legendary UK-based team Fnatic. The victory steamrolling starts when Fnatic’s Mushi went down.
Fire Dragoon
Fire Dragoon
© Fire Dragoon
Who Are They? Another up-and-comer in the Dota 2 league, Fire Dragoon ESports was formed back in 2015 to also compete in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and League of Legends. Though with their star player Ben Lim now playing for WarriorsGaming.Unity, the current lineup will still hold the fort for 2017.
Team Members: Wen “wL” Lian, Brayant “BrayaNt” Pang, xiaNG, “Cascade” Yang Liang Ying
Notable Play: This Boston Major Qualifiers 2016 match against Indonesian team Rex Regum. Despite Rex Regum grouping up at their base to fortify their defense, it wasn’t enough to withstand Fire Dragoon’s relentless assault.
High Ground
High Ground
© High Ground
Who Are They? Perhaps the freshest team in the Southeast Asian circuit. Formerly known as Arrow Gaming, they were considered one of the best teams in the region before being implicated in a match-fixing scandal. Most of the members then moved on to play under Team Redemption and was picked up by Power Gaming, which disbanded recently.
Now under a new banner, they plan to move forward from past drama and play their hearts out this year.
Team Members: Choo Jian ‘MoZuN’ Goh (Captain), Yi Liong ‘ddz’ Kok, Hsien Wan ‘LancE’ Fua, Kelvin ‘Matteru’ Chong, Paul ‘Hana’ Tan (stand-in)
Notable Plays: Since this team is brand new, they do not have any DOTA 2 matches on video. However, the bottom highlight reel of ‘ddz’ is an inkling of the potential they have to be in the big leagues.
Philippines
Considered one of the many first countries to pick up Dota 2 en masse from both a casual and competitive perspective.
Execration
Execration
© Execration
Who Are They? A Filipino team born out of two combined squads of the same name, the team has been around since 2012 and has been performing consistently well since. The team had some roster issues and hit a few snags involving ineligible player status and visa issues for international contests recently.
Despite all this, the team still pull off top-place victories in major tournaments like the MPGL Southeast Asian Championship and the ROG Masters. Arguably the LA Lakers of the Dota 2 universe; hot stuff who ain’t stopping for nobody.
Team Members: Kimuel “Kim0” Rodis, Khim “Gabbi” Villafuerte, Joshua “Owa” Dela Serna, Fernando “Nando” Mendoza, “DJ” Djardel Jicko B. Mampusti
Notable Plays: Winning the MPGL Southeast Asian Championship by beating Korean team MVP Phoenix in the grand finals. Lots of chain kills here, starting from the 5-minute mark.
TNC Pro Team
TNC
© TNC
Who Are They? Another big player in the Filipino and worldwide circuit, TNC is a team that represents the country’s internet cafe chain TheNet.Com. They have the auspicious title of being the sole Filipino team to qualify for The International 2016, as well as causing an upset victory against European team OG.
The fact that they placed at least 2nd place in most major and minor tournaments in Southeast Asia helped their standing in the Dota 2 circuit. Arguably the San Antonio Spurs of the Dota 2 league; they strike and launch their way to the top when the international scene least expects it.
Team Members: Carlo “Kuku” Palad, “Raven” Marc Polo Luis Fausto, “Sam_H” Samson Solomon Enojosa Hidalgo, Timothy “Tims” Randrup, Ryo ‘ryOyr’ Hasegawa
Notable Plays: As mentioned before, this was the upset the team pulled off against OG. Killing farmers, early Witch Doctor aggressions, good item combos that led to them outplaying OG: watch the carnage here.
Happy Feet
Happy Feet
© Happy Feet
Who Are They? A former top-notch Dota team back in 2008, now reborn to play Dota 2 again. The on-and-off team recently secured 3rd place at the recent Pro Dota Cup SEA #4 tournament last January.
Previously, the team went through one revival with a former roster back in 2014, but the team status quo did not last. Let’s hope that does not happen again for this new Happy Feet.
Team Members: Nico ‘eyyou’ Barcelon, Jayjay ‘Yaj’ Garan, Jessie ‘JessieVash’ Cristy Cuyco, ‘Benhur’ Lawis, Benz ‘Pason’ Henoguin
Notable Plays: The team’s win against Rex Regum. This goes to show that the team’s revival isn’t just a PR stunt; they’re bringing it back since the Dota 1 and 2014 resurgence.
Acion Arena
Acion Arena
© Acion Arena
Who Are They? Another relatively newcomer in the scene, Acion Arena was formed in 2016. The team has a track record of players leaving for other high-profile teams: Joshua ‘Owa’ dela Serna left to join Execration while Kenneth ‘Flysolo’ Coloma left to go to Power Gaming, Rave, and eventually to Clutch Gaming. It’s hard to say if the team will stay with its current roster in 2017, but who knows?
The team’s highlight match include placing 2nd in the Mineski Pro-Gaming League Season 8 Championship.
Team Members: Rolen ‘Skemberlu’ Andre Gabriel Ong, Marnie ‘Mrndgz’ Santos, Khristian ‘Kirito’ Aquino, Angelo ‘Gobas’ Victoria
Notable Plays: Acion Arena scored a decent game 1 run against Filipino team Rave in the Mineski Pro Gaming League Season 8 tournament.
Mineski.GGNetwork
Mineski.GGNetwork
© Mineski.GGNetwork
Who Are They? You can’t have a Dota 2 Southeast Asia team article without any mention of the biggest Filipino team in the game’s history. Whether you love or hate the faction, they’re big for a reason: they play darn well, placing 1st in the Razer Dota 2 Tournament and being 3rd in the ROG Masters a few years back.
They also amassed sponsorships up the wazoo as a result. Currently they have Gigabyte, SteelSeries, and Sports5 backing them, with the team’s total earnings being US$156,518. Think of them like the Chicago Bulls during Michael Jordan’s era: they set the standard for high-profile Dota play before becoming complacent.
Team Members: Chai ‘Mushi’ Yee Fung, Lee ‘Kyxy’ Kong Yang, Ryan ‘raging_potato’ Jay Qui, Michael ‘ninjaboogie’ Ross Jr., Nico ‘eyyou’ Barcelon
Notable Plays: You never forget your first; in this case it’s Mineski’s first major Dota 2 victory against Dota juggernaut Orange Esports which earned them 1st place at the Razer Dota 2 Tournament. Watch the team’s game 1 victory here:
Rave
Rave
© Rave
Who Are They? A 2-year old Filipino team with a Korean streak. The team has placed considerably well in tournaments like the Major All Stars Dota 2 Tournament and The Summit 3. Unfortunately, their top players moved on to newer teams and better prospects. With a yet-to-be-confirmed new roster, can they achieve the same heights set by their peers this year?
Team Members: Kevin “Kevz” Edquilan, Dave “WHPH” Aldrin David, Gio “WinterGSmallSon” De Ocampo
Notable Plays: The team’s fight against HaoZhe+4 in the Boston Major Open Qualifiers had some good Meepo play.
Thailand
The country renowned for having a robust Free To Play and mobile gaming crowd also has its fair share of pro-level DOTA 2 teams.
MiTH.Trust
MiTH.Trust
© MiTH.Trust
Who Are They? The Dota 2 team representing eSports body MiTH (short for “Made in THailand”). Though they made an entrance in the eSports scene by qualifying for The International 2011 and placed high in the Asian Cyber Games 2013 and E2MAX L33t Championship, the team has yet to make its mark in 2016 and 2017. With a new roster of players however, perhaps the tide may yet change in their favor.
Team Members: Prapawit “GusGus” Whangperm (Captain), Krittatorn “PunkPang” Lertsuwanon, Jakkarin “PeterYed” Juntawaree, Nuttapong “Leaf” Wipasagulden, Pakinai “kSsA” Srivijarn
Notable Plays: Here’s some solid play from the team in The Summit 2 SEA Qualifiers.
Signature.Trust
Signature.Trust
© Signature.Trust
Who Are They? A team who used to be under the MiTH banner, but now they broke off after being signed by eSports group Signature in 2015. Since then, the team has been performing really well in major tournaments like the World Cyber Arena 2015 SEA Pro Qualifiers and the WESG 2016 Asia Pacific Finals.
Team Members: Pipat “LaKelz” Prariyachat, Kittikorn “MyPro” Inngoen, Peerapat “Tigger” Butta, Posathorn “SoLotic” Kasemsawat, Anurat “boombell” Praianun, Noppadon “FeiMao” Paopongprapun
Notable Plays: Truth be told, Signature’s YouTube channel has more videos of other teams playing Dota 2 than videos of its own team doing so. Nonetheless, here’s a sample of their careful playing against Ideal.Gigabyte in the Thailand Dota 2 League Quarter tournament last year.
Singapore
Arguably a bastion of games development in Southeast Asia, the city with the highest cost of living in Southeast Asia also houses a number of pro-level Street Fighter V players and StarCraft II teams.
Team Faceless
Team Faceless
© Team Faceless
Who Are They? A Dota 2 team who thankfully are not literally faceless. Led by pro strategy gamer Daryl “iceiceice” Koh, they have gone on a winning streak since taking the SEA qualifiers for The Summit 6 tournament.
The team’s manager is pro-gamer Tammy Tang; she’s renowned in the Dota scene as well as being the founding member of all-female eSports group PMS Asterisk*. With such prestigious members, they may put Singapore on the map in the ever-competitive Dota 2 field.
Notable Plays: The winning play that got Team Faceless to The Summit 6 SEA Qualifiers top spot.
Indonesia
Indonesia is another country that thrives in the F2P gaming scene. Surprisingly, there aren’t that many Dota 2 teams that compete internationally.
Rex Regum
Rex Regum
© Rex Regum
Who Are They? Probably the sole Indonesian Dota 2 team representing their country. The team was formed just before the Asian Cyber Games 2013 tournament hit. After failing to qualify for The Internationals in 2014, the team went through a reshuffling and soldiered on until 2017.
The team’s performance has been okay during 2016, placing within the top 3 in tournaments like the Kings Dota 2 Cup and the ProDOTA Southeast Asia #3.
Team Members: Farand “KoaLa” Kowara, Kenny “Xepher” Deo, Michael “KelThuzard” Samsir, Yusuf “yabyoo” Kurniawan, Nicholas “Eden” Thie, Rizki “Varizh” Varizh
Notable Plays: The team’s fight against The Mongolz. The team has shown some good laning skills.
Vietnam
Vietnam has a strict law in particular with games distribution. Regardless, F2P titles do trend well within the small gaming community in the country.
Next Generation
Next Generation
© Next Generation
Who Are They? Probably the only top Vietnamese Dota 2 team. The team has been clearing house since its inception last year. With a solid showing in many Southeast Asian qualifiers and Minor tournaments, this Vietnamese team might be a wildcard to watch out for in 2017.
Team Members: “Datbebong” Nguyễn Thành Đạt, “SADBOY” Trần Duy Anh, “DifferentHeaven” Trịnh Văn Thọ, “SeeL” Vương Thiện Tài, “KL7” Nguyễn Hoàng Duy Khang
Notable Plays: Their game against Thailand team Signature.Trust in the ROG Playoff is worth a watch, if only to see the potential Vietnam has in the long-standing game.
Are there any other Southeast Asian Dota 2 teams we missed out on? Which team on this guide is your favorite?
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