esports
Who reaped the most rewards playing the world famous MOBA? Here is our Top 10.
Without a doubt, Valve's Dota 2 is one of the most lucrative MOBAs right now. There are always new teams being formed every year that want to earn their share of the huge prize pools awarded by tournaments all over the world. Enter Malaysia, a country that has one of the most active Dota 2 scenes in South East Asia. We take a look at the top 10 Malaysian players who have earned the most throughout their entire Dota 2 career according to esportsearnings.com.
1. Wong “ChuaN” Hock Chuan – USD $551,353
Who wouldn't know this guy? Wong Hock Chuan has been an IG (Invictus Gaming) player for 4 years, and recently, he's made the transition to join Newbee. ChuaN was previously a very active basketball player, until he sustained a leg injury and was put off the court for a good few months. That was when ChuaN was introduced to Defense of the Ancients, but back then it was just a modified Warcraft 3 map, or as we call it “D1”. ChuaN improved quickly and had already joined teams like 8mski and Kingsurf. His Dota 2 career really took off when he joined IG as a support player.
2. Chai “Mushi” Yee Fung – USD $389,131
Mushi, Mushi. How can anyone forget your Queen of Pain plays? Chai Yee Fung, aka Mushi, is known as one of the best solo mid players who went up against the likes of Dendi and Ferrari430. Before Dota 2, Mushi temporarily retired from Dota claiming that he was fatigued and was suffering from a streak of poor results. All of that changed when he joined Orange in September 2011. The following year was when Mushi and Team Orange really shined, as they won third place after Alliance and Natus Vincere. He then moved on to join Team DK and played alongside BurNIng, iceiceice, LaNm, and MMY. After DK's unsuccessful attempt at The International 2014, Mushi left and formed his own Team Malaysia. The team seemed like it was the best in South East Asia as it had a 17-game win streak, even after he left to temporarily join EHOME. Mushi eventually went back to Team Malaysia and was picked up by Fnatic in June of 2015.
3. Chong “Ohaiyo” Xin Khoo – USD $143,675
Ohaiyo! Chong Xin Khoo has mastered the Nature Prophet hero so well that when a person mentions his name, the first thing that comes to mind would be the hero. Ohaiyo started his Dota 2 career by joining MUFC and was recruited by Orange the following year. Playing alongside Mushi, Xtinct, Net, and KyXy, the team managed to take third place in The International 2013. In 2014, he joined Titan for an attempt at The International 2014, but was eventually knocked out by Newbee in the group stages. Ohaiyo is currently playing for Fnatic, taking their shot at the Shanghai Major.
4. Lee “KyXy” Kong Yang – USD $119,171
Lee Kong Yang is most well-known for his Windrunner (now Windranger) play while he was still in Team Orange. It was a crucial match as his team was going up against NaVi in the lower bracket finals of TI3. Unfortunately, KyXy accidentally denied the Aegis and cost the team the game. He has joined teams like MUFC, Titan, and even Mushi's Team Malaysia. After a short stint with G Guard eSports, he returned to Team Malaysia and soon got picked up by Fnatic. However, the eSports organization decided to let him go, as well as Johnny and KecikImba, after a disappointing performance at The International 2015. Following the departure from Fnatic, KyXy is currently playing for ThundeRobot Gaming and is based in China. However, the team has been rather quiet these last few months.
5.Lim “Net” Wai Pern – USD $100,722
Net is considered to be one of the most - if not the best - support players to ever hail from Malaysia. Born on the 13th of October, 1990, Net's signature heroes include Sand King and Vengeful Spirit. His ward placing as well as counter-warding skills are phenomenal, proving himself worthy of the “Best Support Player in Malaysia” title. After Team Orange, Net briefly joined Team 123, but he left to join Fnatic right before Team 123 won the Malaysia Cyber Games to become Malaysia's Team Taring. Net has fought with Fnatic at major tournaments like ESL One New York, WCA 2015, Frankfurt Major 2015, and is currently doing his best at the Shanghai Major.
6.Joel Chan “Xtinct” Zhan Leong – USD $90,362
Visage. That's what many will think of when they hear the name “Xtinct”. Joel Chan is a veteran in the Dota scene, having played with top tier teams like Nirvana.my. Xtinct brought his micro gaming expertise to Dota 2 by joining Team Orange in 2011. After an outstanding run at The International 2013, the team split and Xtinct joined teams like Can't Say Wips, Invasion eSports, Banaaaanas, and Vici Gaming Potential, before settling down with Mineski-X. His team managed to score 2:1 over Team Extremist Dota 2 to win the Shanghai Major Open SEA qualifiers. With this, Mineski-X earned its spot as a SEA representative, and will be playing in Perfect World's upcoming Shanghai Major main event.
7. Johnny “JoHnNy” Lee – USD $38,163
Johnny Lee began his professional Dota 2 career in 2013, joining Rattlesnake Gaming at The International 2013. However, the team had a rather disappointing performance and all players went their separate ways 6 months later. JoHnNy then became a part of Arrow Gaming to help them fight their way to The International 2014. Sadly, the team got eliminated during the group stages due to lack of experience. JoHnNy then formed his own team called “Johnny's Revenge”, consisting of other up-and-coming players from Malaysia, which disbanded 2 months later. He was also part of Team Malaysia before he joined Fnatic to compete at The International 2015. After being let off from Fnatic, JoHnNy ultimately joined Mineski-X.
8. Fadil “Kecik Imba” Bin Mohd Raziff – USD $37,948
Kecik Imba is touted to be the next best solo mid player after Mushi. Mushi himself has praised Kecik Imba for his solo mid skills. The two often exchange roles, where Kecik Imba would play the mid role while Mushi played support, and vice versa. Back in 2013, Kecik Imba joined the Orange Academy alongside Ohaiyo, which is a player development program. Out of the two, only Ohaiyo got promoted to the main squad while Kecik Imba became a reserve player. After joining EHOME.my for only a month, the organization dropped the team and they continued to play under the name Team Malaysia. Kecik Imba is currently playing the middle role with Mineski-X.
9. Ng “YamateH” Wei Poong – USD $36,427
Back in the days of Dota 1, Ng Wei Poong's mastery of Nevermore was so godlike that the Chinese community dubbed him as one of the first generation gods - Y-God, alongside Loda @ L-God, and Vigoss @ V-God. Popularly known as YamateH, he transitioned to Dota 2 by joining MeetYourMakers (MYM) in 2012. Unfortunately, MYM decided to let go of its Dota 2 team. Orange saw the opportunity and immediately reached out and recruited YamateH. After contributing to Orange, he was left without a team until he joined Titan. Things didn't really end on good terms, so YamateH formed his own team called “Natit Gaming” which is just “Titan” backwards. He briefly joined G Guard eSports, but left three months later to be part of Team 123's journey to being Malaysia's Team Taring.
10. Chua “Ice” Chee Cai – USD $18,088
Chua Chee Cai, better known as “Ice”, started his professional Dota 2 career with Orange. He stayed on with Orange for a year, playing alongside Chan “Winter” Litt Binn and YamateH. Not being able to make it to Orange's main squad for The International 3, Ice left to join Team Zenith, followed by Titan. After a year's hiatus in 2014, Ice bounced back in 2015 by joining G Guard eSports. He is currently playing as an offlaner on Team Taring, previously known as Team 123 before they won the Malaysia Cyber Games 2015.
It goes without saying that these individuals are the highest earning Dota 2 players in Malaysia because of how active they are in the scene. It takes more than skill and passion to be the best, it takes time and devotion! Most players constantly find a team to join tournaments instead of being without a team and just hope for the best. eSports is on the rise and Dota 2 is just one of the many competitive gaming titles to contribute to that growth. Prize pools are getting bigger and there are more teams than ever before wanting to show what they're made of and wanting to be the best among the rest. Kudos to these players for their passion in the Dota 2 scene, doing themselves and Malaysia proud.
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