Arrow Gaming can be seen as one of the baby teams in this year’s International Qualifiers, having only been in competition for around six months. Announced as a team on Facebook on January 13, 2014, the tag line for the team read “a new force arises in the South East Asia scene”. January 25 saw the announcement of the official roster, consisting of former Lowyat.net players Chin Hong “bad_slowgame” Mun, Fua Hsien “LaNcE” Wan, Goh Choo “MozuN-“ Jian, Chiok Soon “XiangZai” Siang and Kok Yi “ddz” Liong.One of the first matches played by the team was in our own joinDOTA Asian League Season One – a 2-0 win over
Rex Regum Qeon . The jD league allowed Arrow to find their feet as a new team, coming up against some of the biggest South East Asian teams and coming out on top with 16 total wins in the weeks of competition to be top of the ladder, but would go on to lose to fellow newcomers Titan 2-0 in the finals. Throughout February, Arrow would strengthen themselves in local SEA tournaments, and would often get the chance to flex their muscles up against compatriots
Orange Esports and Titan. Their first big tournament could be seen as the AOC Pro Cup Season One, a double elimination best-of-three tournament with fifteen other teams from across SEA. Arrow would be going up against experienced teams like 
Scythe Gaming , 
MITH.TrusT and 
Team Zephyr . Throughout the tournament, Arrow would not drop a single game leading up to the grand final, however, they would eventually lose 3-2 to Orange. Following the tournament, bad_slowgame decided to step down from the team due to work commitments, but agreed to stay on to be the team’s sixth player. On March 6, 2014, Arrow announced the recruitment of former
RaTtLeSnAkE player Johnny “JoHnNy” Lee, to captain and to be the team’s drafter and main off-lane player, and have remained with the same roster to date. As the team were strong contenders as one of the best teams in South East Asia, having a stable roster was important for their TI4 dreams. 
Arrow with their current roster. Image from Arrow's Facebook page.
And sure enough, Arrow were able to test their TI4 potential by receiving an invite to participate in the SEA Qualifiers, with the winner receiving a direct ticket to TI4 under the new selection process. Arrow would have to battle their way to Seattle through Orange, Team Zephyr, Scythe Gaming, MITH.TrusT, Rex Regum Qeon,
Minesky Infinity , MVP Phoenix , Execration and First Departure . Arrow and MVP Phoenix lead the way in the stage one group stage, with both teams with a total record of 7-2, with Minesky Infinity, MITH.TrusT and Orange tied for third. Arrow and Phoenix played in the Winner’s Bracket final, with Arrow forcing the Koreans into the lower bracket, but the Phoenix rose again to verse Arrow in the finals, only to be extinguished 3-1, allowing the baby faced Arrow to book their flights to Seattle with a guaranteed spot to be playing for a $US10 million prize pool.Despite winning a ticket to Seattle, Arrow reached a hurdle in their preparation, as four of the players had their original visa applications rejected. XiangZai, MozuN, LaNcE and ddz’s applications were rejected because of their age and their lack of financial back up. With the support of Valve, and a personal endorsement from the Malaysian ministry of sports and youth to the US embassy, Arrow were able to secure their playing visas.
The MSI Beat It GosuCup Asia came along in June, and Arrow played through the lower brackets to reach the finals against fellow TI4 invitees, Titan. LaNcE was unable to play with Arrow through most of the lower bracket finals, so
Attawat “Nokky” Teephom from MITH.TrusT filled in for their game against Invasion e-Sports , and Joel Chan “Chibix33” Jian Wong from Scythe Gaming standing in for the lower bracket final. For the first game of the finals, Nokky returned to replace LaNcE against Titan, but LaNcE was able to return for the second game in the best-of-three, but they were unable to take out the top prize.The end of June saw Arrow take out first place in both the Bounty Hunter Asia Special, where they beat Invasion 3-0 in a best-of-five, and in the Good Play SEA Invitational they conqured MITH.TrusT 3-0, earning them approximately $US4600 in the space of a few days. Heading into The International, Arrow have been showing their strength as one of the top teams in South East Asia, and may give some of the qualifying teams a scare. Expect an all out war when it comes to playing local rival Titan.
Roster changes:
January 25, 2014 - Creation of team with bad_slowgame, LaNcE, MozuN-, XiangZai and ddz
March 6, 2014 - Bad_slowgame steps down due to work commitments but remains as a 6th player, JoHnnY comes in to captain team
Achievements:
2nd place – AOC Pro Cup Season 1 (March 2014) - $US300
1st place – Steelseries Malaysia Cup 2 (April 2014)
2nd place – joinDOTA League Asia Season 1 (April 2014) - ~$US663
2nd place – WD Dota 2 Pro Series (April 2014)
2nd place – MSI Beat It Gosu Asia Cup May (May 2014)
1st place – The International 4 South East Asia Qualifiers (May 2014)- The International ticket
2nd place – Gosu Cup Asia #12 (June 2014) - $US500
1st place – BountyHunter Asia Special (June 2014) - $US1500
1st place – Good Play South East Asia Invitational (June 2014) - 10,000RM
Gameplay and strategies:
Being a new team, Arrow have only had half a year to fully develop their playstyle and the synergy between the players, and whatever it is seems to be working, as six months of work and over 200 games, they have achieved a win rate of just under 70%. Leading up to the TI4 qualifiers, the team were creating new strategies and new tricks that saw them reach the top of the back and made them stand out as a team with something to prove.
Arrow’s playstyle focuses on allowing their core heroes to farm and be at their strongest, waiting until the late-game until they strike. A lot of the game Arrow have played have been between the 3- and 40 minute mark, meaning that their late-game strategy is integral to their performance. The team will often push for early farming on their core heroes, taking advantage of their opposition’s over extensions or misplays. If the game runs late, Arrow have the ability to get really good combinations off, and will come out of team fights on top, preferencing heroes with mass-AOE spells to get the job done.
One of their big strategies relies on making sure their mid player, ddz, scares their opponents with his movements and his abilities. By picking such big heroes as Invoker, Puck and Tinker, teams will often try to ban out these heroes, making time harder for ddz, while taking the focus away from carry LaNcE. If ddz is pressured in the early game, LaNcE is able to balance the team, and makes the opposition suffer. Their teammates will often pick up items that are able to support their core players, on the one hand helping ddz in an important fight, and then allowing LaNce to purchase an item to balance his style.
The true test for Arrow’s strategy will be when they come across the European teams that they have never faced before. Arrow will have to be able to fight if their preferred heroes are unavailable, and make sure that their core players are not pressured in the early game. When everything falls in place, Arrow can come out of a five-man team fight with barely a scratch and a complete team-wipe, so they are not a team to be treated gently.
Players:
Fua Hsein WenSignature heroes: :d2_doom: :d2_lycan: :d2_ld:
Player position: 1 – Carry.
LaNcE is one of the key players in the Arrow lineup, and a lot of Arrow's strategies rely on LaNcE getting what he needs, even if his teammates have suffered in the early game. LaNcE makes sure to continually farm his hero during the early game, and will avoid team fights until he is ready. His choice of heroes such as Doom, Lycan and Lone Druid signal a high-risk, high DPS playstyle that, if they get the proper start, are able to snowball. Lance's teammates will often come in with the lifesaving items to help keep LaNcE alive, and make sure that he gets the last hits and hero kills. If ddz has a tough time, it is up to LaNcE to carry the team, and assure that his team pulls through.
Throughout the qualifiers, LaNcE will have the added pressure of living in the shadows of his brother
Chai Yee "Mushi" Fung. Mushi is THE SEA player, but LaNcE is emerging as a fantastic and skilled player in his own right, and is deserving of any praise given to him. 
Kok Yi LiongSignature heroes: :d2_invoker: :d2_tinker: :d2_panda:
Player position: 2 – Midlaner
Considered one of the best solo mid players in the South East Asian scene (sorry Mushi). Due to his proficiency at many high skill-cap heroes, clutch plays and his young age, ddz is often competed to
Evil Geniuses mid player “Arteezy” - what originally was 2EZ4RTZ has developed into 2EZ4DDZ for the fans of Arrow.According to the team's manager, ddz is Arrow's main weapon to scare their opponents. ddz spends a lot of his time strengthening his skills by playing ranked MMR games, which he takes back to his team. Like his partner in crime, LaNcE, ddz is a scary player when he is given the room to farm up his heroes and is able to snowball. A mantra he holds to his mid heroes, especially Tinker is "I see people - I kill people", something that the rest of the Arrow team like to hear. How well ddz plays in the early game spills over to the rest of the map, as he is not afraid to go after the kills his team needs. Whatever ddz does in the game, he makes sure that LaNcE is getting enough opportunities as the two share the game - if ddz takes the early and mid game, LaNcE comes through the late games and finishes it off. Be prepared for when Techies comes into the game - ddz will become an extremely happy mid player.
Chiok Soon SiangSignature heroes: :d2_slark: :d2_ds: :d2_rubick:
Player position: 3 - Offlane/semi-core
With LaNcE and ddz carrying the team, xiangzai sits back and make sure that he is contributing enough to help his team. He makes sure that whoever is opposite him in lane is having a tough time, so they are less likely to trouble his teammates. When given heroes like Nature's Prophet and Slark, he can develop into a mid-to late-game core that brings with him a fair share of initiative, damage and destruction.
Johnny LeeSignature heroes: :d2_sk: :d2_aa::d2_rubick:
Player position: 4 - Support.
JoHnNy, as captain, makes sure that his mid and carry are on top of their game, and will help them in any way possible. It is JoHnNy's captaining and leadership that helped Arrow go from being a tiny team to a true giant of the SEA region. Often given micro-intensive heroes like Chen and Visage, JoHnNy and his support partner MoZuN make sure that Arrow have complete control over the map, and that wherever the enemy team turn - Arrow will be there.
Goh Choo JianSignature heroes: :d2_rubick: :d2_dazzle: :d2_ench:
Player position: 5 - Support
MoZuN forms part of the key support strategy that is able to make Arrow so destructible. Arrow's supports are extra limbs to their #1 and #2, making sure they are able to serve up heroes to their cores on a platter. MoZuN's heroes are integral to Arrow's teamfight strategies, often picking up heroes like Rubick, who can steal just the right spell to turn a five-on-five to a "casual teamwipe". MoZuN's hero pool is very similar to his captain's, giving both supports the fluidity to change roles, and gives them more opportunities during the drafting stages.
Predictions for The International:
Arrow Gaming will put up a fight during the qualifiers, but may struggle when it comes to battling the Chinese teams, as they have often been hit and miss. The real challenge for Arrow will be playing against any of the European or American teams, as up to date, they have had no real experience with the Western style. When they come up against Titan, expect the games to be more aggressive, as they try and prove themselves and try to prove that they are the top Malaysian team, and ultimately, the best South East Asia team. Even if they don't make the final rounds of the qualifiers, Arrow will become a better team from the experience, and will hopefully take what they've learnt back to the SEA scene and continue to improve.
How do you think Arrow Gaming will fare at this year's International?
This article was written by
Mary Egan, joinDOTA's writer.Growing up in the land Down Under, BlackWidow.FnL was first introduced to WC3 Dota as part of a weekly Friday Night LAN held by her friends, hense the FnL tag. When not playing Dota 2, you can find her leaping from tall buildings into haystacks.Location: Sydney, AustraliaFollow her on @Mary_McFly_1107.
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