Following Ye “Boboka” Zhibiaoto’s resignation from Team Aster during the Dota 2 Bali Major playoffs last week, various social media users have reported that he will leave China to play with a Dota 2 team in the Southeast Asia region.
As earlier reported, Boboka left Team Aster mere hours after they were defeated by 9Pandas in the first round of the Bali Major lower bracket. Team Aster co-owner Xu “Burning” Zhilei had previously encouraged Boboka to stay, but their performance at the Bali Major, combined with the ongoing issue around the team, was said to be a key motivation for Boboka to depart the team earlier than expected.
Boboka then stated that he was looking for a new team and was open to playing positions other than his primary position, particularly positions 3 and 5. Surprisingly, while the Chinese Dota 2 community was expecting Boboka to join his rival team, a rumor circulated that he was evaluating possibilities to leave China and seek a new opportunity in Southeast Asia.
According to one of the Dota 2 community accounts on Twitter, Boboka is said to be practicing with a SEA squad and looking forward to the next competitive event. Additionally, the rumor went on to say that Burning had predicted Boboka would join Mushi, Yopaj, and xNova, who are all registered as members of Boom Esports in Indonesia.
This is definitely a surprise for the Dota 2 community in Indonesia, particularly Boom Esports fans who eagerly anticipate a new position 3 player on the squad. At the moment, Boom lacks a position 3 player following the departure of Saieful “Fbz” Ilham, who joined Team Secret in the WEU region on loan. According to an interview with Team Secret captain Clement “Puppey” Ivanov, they are interested in extending Fbz’s contract, which means Fbz is unlikely to return to Indonesia in the near future.
So far, Boom Esports has not responded to rumors about Boboka’s departure. However, Gary “Natshuba” Ongko, the CEO of the Boom Esports squad, replied to the rumors with a cryptic post on Twitter, in which he neither denied nor confirmed the news. Given the team’s future plans following a dismal season in 2023, Boboka could be their key to improve their performance, especially with the forthcoming regional qualifiers for The International 12.
