This article is part of “Under the SEA (League)” a preview of the teams that will be competing for the US$100,000 prize pool at the ONE Esports Dota 2 SEA League.

BOOM Esports is a rising Indonesian Dota 2 squad that has improved greatly since the start of 2020. Hot off their first championship at ESL SEA Championship 2020, the team now has another chance to prove themselves against the best teams in the SEA region.

Here’s a quick rundown of the team’s performance this year, a closer look at the BOOM Esports roster, and how the team matches up against its SEA rivals in the ONE Esports Dota 2 SEA League.


BOOM Esports roster shuffle post TI-9

After BOOM Esports failed to qualify for The International 2019, support player Tri “Jhocam” Kuncoro decided to leave the team. This led to a player shuffle, with Randy “Dreamocel” Sapoetra taking over the support role for the team.

BOOM Esports also picked up two key strategists: Aaron “Clairvoyance” Kim as its coach, and Shenal “AB” Daniel as the team’s analyst. Clairvoyance was previously the coach of European squad, Alliance.

Near the end of 2019, the team went through another roster change, due to Muhammad “InYourdreaM” Rizky’s decision to step down from its active roster. This moved Dreamocel back into the hard carry role, while the team picked up Brizio Adi “Hyde” Putra as its new support player.


2019-2020 Dota 2 season

At the start of the 2019-2020 DPC season, BOOM Esports struggled to qualify for major DPC events. As a result, the team would play in lower-tier tournaments where they did well for themselves, often securing podium finishes at said events.

The team earned its big break when it qualified for the StarLadder Season 3 Dota 2 Minor. In the DPC Minor, it lost to Team Aster during the group stage, but managed to bounce back by defeating forZe and business associates to secure a top 4 finish. The squad eventually lost to Gambit Esports and were then eliminated by Alliance.

After the StarLadder Minor, the team moved on to qualify for the ONE Esports Dota 2 Invitational during the Indonesia Qualifier. BOOM Esports went 6-0 during the competition and defeated both Tyrants Uprising and Team Oracle.

The ONE Esports Dota 2 Indonesia Qualifier would be the last physical event the team would participate in, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that has put a halt to the 2019-2020 DPC season, along with the delay of The International 2020.

The Indonesian squad then transitioned to competing in regional online leagues where it has done well for itself. The team usually finishes in third or fourth place but they did manage to win the ESL SEA Championship 2020, defeateding Geek Fam 3-2 in a hard-fought Grand Final series.



Team Breakdown

BOOM Esports boasts two strong carry players in Dreamocel and Rafli Fathur “Mikoto” Rahman, who have both had impressive individual performances that often become a win condition for the team.

Team captain Alfi “Khezcute” Nelphyana has provided solid in-game leadership and consistent hard support performances. Meanwhile, Fbz and Hyde will be two players to look out for in the tournament. With most of the focus on Dreamocel and Mikoto, BOOM’s offlane and roaming support players could be the difference-maker, which decides whether the team will make a deep run in the tournament.

BOOM Esports Roster:

  • (1) Randy “Dreamocel” Sapoetra
  • (2) Rafli Fathur “Mikoto” Rahman
  • (3) Saieful “Fbz” Ilham
  • (4) Brizio Adi “Hyde” Putra
  • (5) Alfi “Khezcute” Nelphyana

The ONE Esports Dota 2 SEA League starts on June 18.

READ MORE: Under the SEA (League): A closer look at Fnatic