After a number of shifts, Chai "Mushi" Yee Fung’s IO Dota2 squad is back in action with a new roster and a new sponsor.
IO Dota2 is now playing under the banner of Team Still Moving Under Gunfire, typically abbreviated as Team SMG. Team SMG’s Dota 2 squad is made up of the IO Dota2 lineup that appeared in the Huya Dota2 Winter Invitational. It includes the following players:
1. Cheng "vtFαded" Jia Hao
2. Muhammad Ammar Rasulli “Neah666” Bin Jamil
3. Chai "Mushi" Yee Fung
4. Tue "ah fu" Soon Chuan
5. Michael "ninjaboogie" Ross Jr.
What is Team SMG?
Team SMG is an organization helmed by Singaporean singer JJ Lin, who Dota 2 fans may recognize for his performance at the Shanghai Major. Team SMG also currently sponsors squads in PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds and Valorant. Its most notable accomplishment in esports thus far is winning the 2017 Arena of Valor International Championship.
The sponsorship of IO Dota2 comes after the team’s solid performance in the Huya Dota2 Winter Invitational. Though the roster posted a relatively humble top-eight performance, their early elimination from the playoffs was preceded by a strong group stage performance that saw the team go 9-4 overall.
Before this, IO Dota2 posted weaker results in a number of tournaments. The team also dealt with a number of substitutes and roster changes, so it's unclear what the team is truly capable of.
Fans won’t have to wait long to get an answer. Team SMG is set to compete in the closed qualifier for the PGL Dota Pro Circuit upper division league. They’ll take on the likes of Neon Esports, Execration, and 496 Gaming in hopes of earning a spot in the upcoming major.
Where is Mushi now?
Mushi lands with Team SMG after two difficult years as a journeyman. Mushi played with a long list of top teams from the original DotA all the way through 2018 when he split from Mineski. He has since bounced between China and Southeast Asia, playing for a few months at a time for such teams as Geek Fam and Keen Gaming. Starting in November 2019, he started playing with rosters he had built himself, with IO Dota2 coming together in February 2020.
