Ohaiyo and Mushi announced as members of Team IO
Chai "Mushi" Yee Fung and Khoo "Ohaiyo" Chong Xin have been announced as members of a new Dota 2 team dubbed Team IO, which will feature some well-known players from the Southeast Asian region.
Earlier this Saturday, Team IO registered on the Dota 2 Minor and Major registration page, unveiling a new roster, which will field two well-known Malaysian Dota 2 pros Mushi and Ohayo as well as Galvin "Meracle" Kang Jian Wen, Benhur "Nayeon" Lawis and Ryan "Raging-_-Potato" Jay Qui (also known as Bimbo).
Raging-_-Potato is a 24-year-old Dota 2 pro who started his career in 2011 when he joined Mineski. He later played for Excration, TaskUs Titans, DeToNator and most recently for a team known as Brothers United. At Brothers United, Raging-_-Potato played alongside Mushi and Ohayo during Yabo Supreme Cup and the DreamLeague Season 13 SEA qualifiers with varying degrees of success, finishing fifth-eighth at DreamLeague Season 13 SEA qualifiers and fifth-sixth at Yabo Supreme Cup.
Despite his rather lacklustre results in recent months, Raging-_-Potato is a highly experienced player, with a plethora of achievements throughout his career. Last season, he also made an appearance at The International with Mineski, where the team finished ninth-12th following a close 1-2 defeat against Team Secret in round two of tournament's lower bracket.
His new teammate, Meracle started his career as Dota 2 pro back in 2012 when he joined First Departure. Throughout his career, Meracle played for several teams including RisingStars, Titan, Scythe Gaming, 5eva, Mineski, Fnatic, WarriorsGaming.Unity, IG Vitality, Resurgence, Complexity Gaming and most recently Alpha x Hashtag before the team disbanded and released its roster in December 2019.
Ohaiyo entered the Dota 2 scene in September 2012, when he joined MUFC. He later played for Orange, Titan, EHOME, Fnatic, LGD.Forever Young, Lotac and WarriorsGaming.Unity. His career-best results came in 2015-2016, while he played under the Fnatic banner, where he finished top-three in several Major tournaments and even claimed fourth place at TI6. In 2013, Ohayo also finished third at The International 2013 with Orange, making him one of the most experienced players on the new Team IO roster.
Nayeon (also known as Benhur), is the youngest player in the team, with only 22-years-of age. His career as Dota 2 pro player started in 2016, when he joined Mineski, where he remained for only five months. He later played for HappyFeet, Team Admiral, DeToNator, Team Jinesbrus and most recently Brothers United. Nayeon saw a lot of success in some minor tournaments throughout 2019, yet he is still unproven in DPC scene.
Last but not least, it's Mushi, an experienced veteran who started competing in Dota 2 back in 2011. Throughout his career, he has played for Orange Esports, Team DK, Team Malaysia, EHOME, Fnatic, Mineski, Tigers, Team Aster, Geek Fam, Keen Gaming and most recently at Brothers United. His career-best achievement came in 2013, when he finished third at TI3 alongside Ohaiyo. Mushi also finished fourth at TI4 and TI6. Mushi is a well-known and respected Dota 2 player, who was proclaimed as the best mid solo player in 2013 and received the community reward for the best mid solo a year earlier.
The new Dota 2 team will reunite Mushi, Raging-_-Potato and Ohaiyo who previously played together at Brothers United. While the trio failed to see much success in their joint venture, they will hope the arrival of Miracle and Nayeon will add the needed quality for this SEA squad to make a breakthrough and leave a mark in the Dota Pro Circuit.
Whether the new SEA quintet will be able to live up to the expectations and make their region proud is yet to be seen, but with more and more Dota 2 rosters emerging from SEA region, it’s safe to say lower-tier SEA tournaments won’t be a walk in the park. That, however, can only help the Dota 2 competitive ecosystem and ultimately help with the growth and the popularity of Dota 2, which has seen a significant drop in its player base in recent months.
