The International 2012 teams: Orange

The International 2012 draws a day closer, and today we present to you a team profile of the other Malaysian juggernaut, Orange eSports.

Team history:

Formed in September of 2011, Orange.DotA was considered to be the comeback of Malaysian DotA icon Mushi. Having taken a break from competitive DotA since the dissolution of Nirvana.MY, Mushi once again teamed up with his old teammate XtiNct, his former archrival Winter, and lesser known players Nichx and Clanton of former Inc Excello fame. The formation of the team was met with much joy and fans the world over expected great things from the team. However, they were unable to deliver, always losing out to their archrivals MUFC in many Grand Final games. By the end of 2011, the team had only two championship titles to their name.

First Incarnation of Orange.DotA

With an emphasis on team chemistry rather than raw skill, Orange stuck with the same roster for three months, but it was to no avail. In early 2012 the team announced the removal of Clanton and Nichx from the team, as well as Mushi's decision to take a break from competitive play and take on a coaching role instead. In their place, Orange brought in another superstar player, Yamateh, the renowned support player Ice, and a member from their academy team, Ohaiyo. Shortly after, it was made known that Ky.xY had left MUFC to join up with Orange as well, signaling the removal of Ohaiyo from the team. The new roster was reminiscent of the old Nirvana.MY team that dominated the Malaysian scene back in 2010. With the exception of Winter and Ky.xY, all the players have played under the Nirvana tag before.

First roster change in action at the Razer Dota 2 Tournament

While the roster change was meant to rejuvenate the team, Orange still fell short many times to their counterparts such as Mineski and MUFC. The turning point came about when the team took time off their busy schedule and headed to the Philippines to compete in the ever prestigious Gigabyte Mineski Pro League. While the team did not fare too well (one could even say they did terribly) in the event, it gave them the injection of confidence and skill needed to win. Soon after settling back in Malaysia, the team regrouped and reflected on their losses. With new found confidence as well as the return of Mushi as an active player, the team took the scene by storm. Winning title after title, they even reintroduced the mass Necronomicon strategy to competitive play. Even with a six man roster, the team still make it work by swapping out Yamateh for Ky.xY when they compete in WarCraft III DotA tournaments.

Major Achievements:

2nd - Razer Dota 2 Tournament, Singapore (2012) - $1,000
1st - Razer Invitational Showcase, Singapore (2012) -$2,000
1st - e-Club The Evolution Grand Finals, Subang Jaya (2012) - RM 5000
3rd - Gigabyte Dota 2 Masters (2012) - $750
1st - joinDota Masters IX (2012) - 500€

Roster:
(Clicking on the individual hero icons will take you to that hero's profile in our database!)

Mushi
Yee Fung Chai

Considered to be the most talented player in the whole of Malaysia and sometimes in South-East Asia, Mushi's history in the competitive scene is nothing but impressive. With multiple title wins under his belt, his experience is matched by very few. Mushi was once even invited to China to play under the CCM tag for a short while. However, due to some personal issues he left the team after a couple of months. To be invited to play in a Chinese team is a testament to his skills as the Chinese have been known to be very picky when it comes to picking teammates.



Signature heroes:

Yamateh
Wei Poong Ng

The first half of the YaMushi factor, Yamateh is undoubtedly one of the longest standing players in the Malaysian Dota scene with ample experience acquired throughout the years. Known as the best solo middle player in the whole of Malaysia, it was said that at his peak, only a handful of teams were able to pull of a successful gank on him while in middle lane. Best known around the world for his Shadow Fiend play, he is the inspiration that pushed YaphetS to be known for what he is today. Back in 2008, Yamateh was part of the team that placed second at the ESWC in San Jose. With a returning trip to America this time around, his aim will be nothing but first place.


Signature heroes:

XtincT
Joel Chan Zhan Leong

Due to his former career in WarCraft III, XtiNcT can be seen playing the micro intensive heroes for Orange. Xtinct is the utility hero for the team, playing anything and everything that is required of him in official matches. You hardly see him playing the same hero five games in a row. Sometimes seen sitting in the Blue or Pink slot during the drafting stage, XtiNcT's drafting abilities is only second to a select few. Having captained the infamous Nirvana.MY during their prime, he knows the strength and weaknesses of his team well enough to bring them to victory.




Signature heroes:

WinteR
Litt-Binn Chan

A former national chess player of Malaysia, Winter sees the variables in a game of Dota as pieces on a chess boards. While no longer the person that sits in the Blue or Pink slot during the drafting stage, his opinions during the draft are of utmost importance to the team. Back in SMM 2010, when LGD was playing their match on stage, Winter commented that their draft was so that enemies will not be able to reach their high ground. After the game, LGD's leader 2009 echoed the same idea in an interview on stage.




Signature heroes:

Ice
Chee Cai Chua

Another long-standing member of the Malaysian Dota scene, Ice is one of the highest ranking support players in the country. While he was part of the team that qualified for ESWC in 2008, Ice did not make it to San Jose, opting to stay back due to his studies. Sakura was sent in his place and as mentioned before, his team earned second place, losing out to their Singaporean neighbours Zenith. Some veterans of the scene have argued that if Ice was playing at ESWC, the team could have brought home the gold medal. Regardless, Ice's contribution to Orange is an important one; with his excellent ward placements and positioning, he has saved Orange from death numerous times.


Signature heroes:

Ky.xY
Kong Yang Lee

Although Ky.xY may be the sixth player for Orange, it should not be mistaken that he is a weak player. On the contrary, he has been the key player in many of their wins in WarCraft III DotA. Due to Yamateh's decision to focus only on Dota 2, the team is left with a void when they are competing in WarCraft III DotA events. This is where Ky.xY comes in. Usually taking on the role as the secondary carry, his dedication to the age old game has led them to many victories. Ky.xY has also contributed to Orange's success in Dota 2, having swapped in for Mushi during official matches a few months back due to a different training regiment. Orange owes much of its success in WarCraft III DotA to him as well as in Dota 2.

Signature heroes:

Chances at The International:

One of the biggest strengths that Orange possess while heading to Seattle is what some dub as the “YaMushi” factor. Touted as two of the best players in all of Asia, Yamateh and Mushi strike fear in all their opponents. Yamateh was cited as the player that YaphetS looked up to during his career in competitive DotA. Another thing that will work in their favour at The International is the fact that all the players have had a wealth of experience competing. With the exception of Ky.xY, everyone has played in high level tournaments for at least 3 to 4 years, with Yamateh clocking in at almost 6 years. With such high-stakes situations to come at Seattle, the team can stay calm under pressure which could work in their favour.

Carrying the Malaysian pride to Seattle, the team does have some factors they need to take note of before they take off. First of all, the team has some drafting issues, constantly being outpicked by their opponents. This complicates matters more when the team has a relatively small hero pool, lacking players for key heroes such as Earthshaker and Invoker. Though the team may have moved away from the mass Necronomicon strategy, Orange is still fairly predictable when it comes to their playstyle which may very well cost them at The International.

Any opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the editor's, and do not reflect joinDOTA as a whole.

Previous Profiles

Natus Vincere
Zenith
Darer
EHOME
Evil Geniuses
MUFC
Counter Logic Gaming
LGD



Back to Coverage