A new Southeast Asia Dota 2 squad has risen from the ashes of previous teams. Team SMG has formed its Dota division around Michael “ninjaboogie” Ross Jr. and Chai “Mushi” Yee Fung, the organization announced today.
The new SEA team will compete in upcoming qualifiers for the 2021 Dota Pro Circuit, with the hope of making it into the Upper Division of the regional league. And with a roster featuring both successful veterans and younger talent, the team looks like a promising addition to the field of competitors.
This move comes as part of a decision made by Singaporean singer and founder of Team Still Moving under Gunfire (SMG), JJ Lin, who is a big Dota 2 fan.
“Dota 2 is a game I’ve been passionate about since I was a kid,” JJ Lin said. “Today we finally bring it to professional level by announcing the Team SMG Dota 2 division, game on!”
Originally, SMG focused on Arena of Valor, but the team has since expanded into PUBG, Mobile Legends, and now Dota.
As for the team itself, Mushi is a legendary player but spent the better part of the last two years bouncing between teams. This will be a chance for him to have a stable team environment alongside other strong players.
Ninjaboogie is in a similar boat, having left Mineski after their deep run at The International 2019 and failing to find a new place to play outside of a brief stint with 032 from August to November. He and Mushi have played together before and may have a strong showing in the upcoming qualifiers.
Cheng “vtFαded” Jia Hao showed promise in late 2018 with Geek Fam but has since played for seven different teams. He last played for IO alongside Mushi, who is bringing him along on this new venture.
Tue “ah fu” Chuan is another veteran player who is best known for his incredible play at TI7 where he helped carry LGD.Forever Young to a third-place finish. Muhammad “Neah666” Bin Jamil provides a wildcard for the team, having been active in the SEA scene for years but never really playing with a big roster before.
