Former T1 support player Matthew “Whitemon” Filemon will become the first Indonesian to play in the North American Dota Pro 2 circuit with TSM.
He joins the NA region which is still reeling from the shocking news that Evil Geniuses has completely abandoned its entire roster to move to South America instead.
The addition of Whitemon, 22, is part of TSM’s move to shake up its roster. TSM’s MoonMeander, a mainstay of the team, has transitioned to a coaching role. It has also added Matthew “Ari” Walker, 19, to its lineup.
Ari ,who was widely known as a professional Heroes of the Storm player, decided to switch to Dota in 2019 when HotS discontinued its esports scene. The Brit once reached number one spot in HoTS Europe competitive scene in September 2018.
The other recruit, Whitemon, who has been the subject of transfer rumors for the past few weeks, is an interesting addition to TSM new lineup. Even though he is one of TSM’s new young players, he has had significant experience in the scene.
He has been a member of formidable Dota SEA lineups, such as Evos and Geek Fam. He later joined T1 in January 2021 and made himself known as the first Indonesians, along with Xepher, to reach The International in October 2021.
Prior to this announcement, Whitemon was linked to other major Southeast Asian teams, including Talon Esports. This was later confirmed by Mikoto, who stated that Whitemon was on Talon’s wishlist before they decided to sign Oli.
Whitemon will be the third Southeast Asian, and the first Indonesian, to play in North America Dota competition. Previously there were Daryl ‘iceiceice’ Koh and Abed ‘Abed” Yusop who got the taste of NA competitive scene with Evil Geniuses team.
