Last time, we checked what was happening in the CIS Dota 2 esports scene. There were indeed a lot of interesting movements and no doubt to bring some exciting matches to the region. This time, we take a look at what’s happening in one of the most dynamic regions -Southeast Asia.
For starters, it looks like Carlo "Kuku" Palad managed to get into a new team just as the new DPC Season is about to start. Over at TNC Predator, it seems that they have looked into their coach Kim "Febby" Yong-min, who is now a part of the roster.
Is This it for Kuku?
Many fans remembered Kuku for his time in TNC when they eliminated OG, then considered as the team to beat. He continued to be part of TNC until 2019, participating in each TI tournament. Kuku then left the team and joined Geek Fam.
Geek Fam performed well during 2020. But without Valve-sponsored tournaments, it had to release the entire roster in September 2020. Even as a free agent, Kuku managed to take part in tournaments in SEA by forming a team with other Dota 2 players.
Kuku was later invited by T1 to serve as a stand-in for the BTS Pro Series Season 4. T1 finished in 3rd place behind Team Dog and champion TNC. He was then invited to serve as a coach for Omega Esports.
While there’s still no official word on either T1 and Omega about Kuku, the official DPC Registration shows that he is part of T1.
The Coach Fills in
TNC, meanwhile, had a relatively stable roster in 2020. The team initially led the ranking in the 2019–2020 DPC Season but it went all for naught when the season was canceled due to the pandemic. TNC also had some troubles in certain 2020 tournaments.
By September 2020, Park "March" Tae-won was released from the team despite TNC winning the ESL One Thailand 2020: Asia. Down one team member, TNC signed Matthew "Whitemon" Filemon as a stand-in for the Dota Summit 13 Online: Southeast Asia.
TNC then called on its coach Febby as the fifth member for the BTS Pro Series Season 4: Southeast Asia, where they took 1st place.
It’s possible Febby only served as the fifth member for Season 1. The team may consider another player for Season 2.
Both T1 and TNC received direct invites for the Upper Division of the SEA region for Season 1 along with Fnatic and BOOM Esports.
What are your thoughts on these roster changes?
