OB.Neon has revealed its updated Dota 2 roster ahead of the upcoming Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) 2021-22. The most notable change in this roster move is the addition of The International 2 (TI2) champion Wong "ChuaN" Hock Chuan as the team's Dota 2 coach. Additionally, former Army Geniuses players, Tri Daya "Mamang Daya" Pamungkas and Yukatheo "you_K" Glen are joining as the midlaner and the soft support respectively. Jaunuel "Jaunuel" Arcilla who was recently moved to the inactive roster, remains as the sixth player on the OB.Neon roster.
OB.Neon’s new lineup includes ChuaN as Dota 2 coach
The OB.Neon Twitter handle shared a statement by the organization's CEO, Robert Campbell. He explained that he knew the emotions of fans who were upset about Rolen Andrei Gabriel "skem" Ong and Erin Jasper "Yopaj" Ferrer's departure and that they were trying their best to make the team competitive like last year.
The statement listed all the players and their positions on the team, but in an interesting twist, also revealed ChuaN would be coaching the team. “ChuaN won the aegis at TI2 and we expect his experience and dedication to his new role will be instrumental in our future success.”
OB.Neon’s updated Dota 2 team:
Jinn Marrey “Palos” Lamatao
Tri Daya "Mamang Daya" Pamungkas
Michael Roi “Enryu” Ladines
Ravdan “Hustla” Narmandakh
Yukatheo "you_K" Glen
Jaunuel "Jaunuel" Arcilla
Wong "ChuaN" Hock Chuan (coach)
The addition of ChuaN is surprising due to the fact that he has not played competitive Dota 2 for three years now. As he continues to still tweet about the game he did, however, announce that he was in search of a new Dota 2 team in May 2021.
ChuaN, who hails from Malaysia, was the first Southeast Asian (SEA) player to win TI.
Meanwhile, after nearly two years with Army Geniuses, Mamang Daya and you_K depart from the team. There were moments where the team showed promise, but it failed to make a significant impact.
OB.Neon, meanwhile, solved the shambles of the tiers 2-3 circuit and had a solid start to the DPC 2021 season, causing upsets across the first regional league and the first Major. As the season progressed, the team floundered and failed to qualify for The International 10 (TI10). OB.Neon has experienced a flurry of roster changes in recent months, so none of the players from the first regional league are still on the team's active roster. Jaunuel is on the inactive roster, while skem and Yopaj are at BOOM Esports, and John Anthony "Natsumi-" Vargas is at Polaris Esports with former allies from Adroit Esports. Prieme Ejay "PlayHard" Banquil is currently without a team.
As an organization with a new Dota 2 lineup and a seasoned TI winner, OB.Neon will now look forward to the upcoming DPC 2021-22, which reportedly starts on 29th Nov 2021.
