by On Monday, January 8, Bleed Esports announced the signing of mid laner Rafli “Mikoto” Fathur Rahman and support Wilson “poloson” Koh.
With the two additions, Bleed Esports completed their Dota 2 line-up, weeks ahead of DreamLeague Season 22.
Mikoto joins Bleed Esports as one of the most recognisable names from the South-East Asia (SEA) Dota 2 scene.
The 23-year-old started his esports career in March 2017 and has since played for some of the top teams in the region, including BOOM Esports and Talon Esports.
With Talon, Mikoto accomplished a lot last year.
He won the BTS Pro Series Season 14: Southeast Asia and DPC SEA 2023 Tour 2: Division I and claimed two bronze medals at the Lima Major 2023 and Riyadh Masters 2023.
However, despite all the success, Mikoto found himself on the chopping block after Talon’s 9th-12th-place exit from The International 2023.
His new teammate, poloson joins Bleed Esports as one of the most experienced players on the roster.
Over his career, which spans a decade, poloson has competed with some of the strongest Dota 2 teams in the world, including Invictus Gaming, Nigma Galaxy SEA, and Team SMG.
Even though poloson didn’t accomplish much in 2023 when he competed with Myth Avenue Gaming, the seasoned veteran can offer a lot of value for Bleed, who’ll look to build on the success they’ve achieved in 2023.
New blood, new faces, please welcome @mikoto347 and @polosonn!
Get ready for a wild ride! See you at DreamLeague qualifiers! ??#GOBLEED?? pic.twitter.com/BZk1LryQjf
— BLEED Esports (@ggBleed) January 8, 2024
Bleed Esports have proven very active during the Dota 2 offseason, looking to strengthen the roster after failing to accomplish much in the 2023 season.
Even though Bleed Esports won DPC SEA 2023 Tour 3: Division I, the SEA squad failed to show much on the international stage.
In July, Bleed Esports attended Bali Major 2023 and crashed out of the $500,000 Dota 2 esports tournament in 13th-14th place.
By the end of the season, the Singaporean team unsuccessfully attempted to qualify for The International and ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023, exiting both qualifiers in fifth-sixth place.
In a bid to find more success in 2024, Bleed Esports started rebuilding the roster in November with the addition of Natthaphon “Masaros” Ouanphakdee and Tommy “Taiga” Le.
However, after a rough showing at Kobolds Rave in December, Bleed released Taiga and found two new players to fill the missing gaps.
Bleed Esports will debut their new roster in the upcoming DreamLeague Season 22 qualifier, set to start in February.
