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The Dota 2 community constantly debates who is the greatest player of all time, with both fans and professional players sharing their opinions. The roster and support staff of Southeast Asian (SEA) squad BOOM Esports recently provided their thoughts on the Dota 2 GOAT (Greatest Of All Time). There were different names given by the members for their respective GOATS, but Nigma Galaxy’s Amer "Miracle-" Al-Barkawi came up the most. Furthermore, coach Chai "Mushi" Yee Fung made an intriguing choice he selected a player who had primarily been a renowned figure in DotA, the precursor to Dota 2.
BOOM Esports members share their thoughts on the GOAT of Dota 2
In a video released by BOOM Esports' Twitter handle, the members were asked one by one to discuss their greatest Dota 2 players, and Mushi was the first to respond, naming retired Russian player Ivan "Vigoss" Shinkarev.
Vigoss, a former DotA and Dota 2 player, rose to prominence during his tenure at Virtus.pro from 2006 to 2008. He switched to Dota 2 in 2011 with Moscow Five and played for a number of teams until 2015 when he retired from competitive gaming. His sole outing in The International (TI) was in 2012 when he finished 13th - 16th with Moscow Five.
BOOM Esports’ analyst Khoo "Ohaiyo" Chong Xin named former two-time TI winner Topias "Topson" Taavitsainen as his Dota 2 GOAT. “I think probably Topson. I like the way he plays. I like the way he thinks,” he said.
Topson has remained an active player in ranked games despite not competing much professionally in the last two years. He has established himself as one of the most eccentric yet competent and formidable midlaners in professional Dota 2 history, frequently seen experimenting in the midlane with heroes such as Bane, Oracle, and others, as well as picking up unusual items on more standard heroes.
BOOM Esports’ support player Yap "xNova" Jian Wei had his Dota 2 GOAT within the organization. “Personally, I idolize Mushi a lot since way back then until now,” he said.
Mushi, arguably the greatest player to come from SEA, noted for his top mechanical skill, moved to the coaching role in 2021. In the last two years, he has played a significant role in BOOM's strategies and drafts.
BOOM Esports’ latest recruit, Chung “Ws” Wei Shen named Miracle- as his GOAT without elaborating much on it. Meanwhile, the team’s carry player John "Natsumi-" Vargas categorized his GOAT into two categories. “In terms of achievements, maybe Ceb but in terms of mechanical skill, in his prime is Miracle-,” he said.
Ceb, who has been associated with Dota 2 since its inception, started gaining traction when he led OG to three Major Championships in 2016-17. In the following years, he joined the team as an active player and won two TIs by displaying extreme tenacity under pressure situations and inculcating the same in the team.
In the years since then, his success has been mixed, as he has been on and off in the competitive scene, one exception being his win at the ESL One Stockholm Major 2022 when he filled in for OG.
Finally, it was BOOM Esports’ midlaner Erin Jasper "Yopaj" Ferrer who named his GOAT, and similar to the two other core players, he also had Miracle-, particularly in his prime, as the choice.
Currently inactive due to health issues, Miracle- attracts one of the largest and most loyal fan bases in competitive Dota 2. The performances he made while playing for Team Liquid on Invoker, Shadow Fiend, Anti-Mage, and more from 2016 to 2019, have been some of the most talked about for their incredible mechanical skill and outplaying of the opposition.
