Dota 2 is one of the most popular games in the world. As a multiplayer online mobile arena (MOBA) game, players can enjoy playing with their teammates and strategizing to win. With the popularity of this genre, there are several countries where this game is most known.

With its engaging gameplay, several Asian countries embraced its competitive side to the point where it is now considered one of the biggest games in the esports industry. One of the countries that have active Dota 2 players is South Korea. 

Although the game may not be as popular in the country compared to League of Legends (LoL), there are still a lot of players who are fond of playing Dota 2. The reason behind this is that the game was just made available in South Korea just in 2014, a time when there were already a lot of LoL players in the country. 

Even though it may not be as massive as the other popular MOBA games, there is a competition called the Korean Dota League. It is held for their local Dota 2 players and esports teams who excel in the game. Here is a closer look at some of the countries’ finest Dota 2 teams. 

T1 

T1, formerly known as SK Telecom T1, is a professional esports team founded in 2002. Aside from Dota 2, they are also known for being active on other games like StarCraft, League of Legends, and several other games. They announced their entry into the Dota 2 scene by signing Forev. This makes them the second KespA organization to open a Dota division and the first Korean organization to do this after the disbandment of TI6. 

Their active roster of players includes:

• 23savage – Nueng Nara Teramahanon
• Karl – Karl Baldovino
• Whitemon – Matthew Filemon
• Xepher – Kenny Deo
• Kuku – Carlo Palad

Team Jinesbrus

Team Jinesbrus, also known as TJMM, is another popular Dota 2 team in the country that was founded in 2019. Aside from being popular in Korea, they are also a recognized team on the international level. They are currently an inactive team after suffering from their two-loss streak in their most recent games. 

Some of the recent players they had on their roster include: 

• Forev – Sang-don Lee
• Milan – Milan Kozomara
• Benhur – Benhur Lawis
• Chu – Evgeniy Makarov
• Xemistry – James Lee

Team Secret

Team Secret is a professional Dota 2 team based in Europe that is spearheaded by Korean coach Lee Seung Gon more commonly known as Heen. Before his coaching stint with Team Secret, he also used to be an active Dota 2 player too. With his impressive handling of the team, he was awarded as the Esports Coach of the Year in the Esports Awards 2020. 

Here’s a list of Team Secret’s active players:

• Nisha – Michal Jankowski
• YapzOr – Yazied Jaradat 
• iceiceice – Daryl Koh Pei Xiang
• Puppey – Clement Ivanov
• SumaiL – Sumail Hassan

Pokerface

This team was also known as Bird Gang and StarTale when they were first launched in 2014. They used to be a Tier 1 Dota 2 team that was solely based in South Korea. They played their first official match in the Korean Dota 2 League where they placed 2nd in Tier 2. The following year, the team disbanded. 

Here are the names of the players who once played for this team. 

• JyU – Kang Tae-young
• 4885 – Kim Sung-hoon
• Febby – Kim Yong-min
• Sky – Park Yong-kyu
• MP – Pyo Noa

Zephyr

Zephyr is another Dota 2 team that was established in 2014. They took part in several matches, in which they secured impressive placements. Before they officially disbanded in 2015, they earned a total of more than $130,000 during their career. 

Here are some of the players who were once known as members of this team. 

• Corey – Corey Wright
• Eosin – Steven Cheng 
• xFreedom – Nicholas Kelvin Ileto Lim
• Blitz – William Lee
• sLiCKz – Trent Tucker

MVP Phoenix

MVP Phoenix is a sub-branch of Team MVP, an established Korean multi-gaming team. They entered the Dota 2 scene in September 2013 at the same time. The team became active for several years and had several achievements during their career. They were able to earn around $2.8 million before they disbanded in January 2017.

Here are the names of the players who actively took part in their former roster. 

• Forev – Lee Sang-don
• DuBu – Kim Doo-young
• QO – Kim Seon-yeob
• Febby – Kim Yong-min
• Reisen – Lee Jun-yeong 
• Velo – Kim Tae-sung

Eyes of Tiger

Also known as Team EoT or EoT Hammer, this team is known for consisting mostly of the former members of Mineski.kor. This team played in the Nexon Starter League and finished the match as the runner-up of the tournament. Currently, the team is sponsored by Xenics. 

These are the current players that make up their roster. 

• pYung – Pyeong Kwon 
• Ryo – Ryo Hasegawa
• Cast – Mark Pillar
• Jeyo – Jio Madayag 
• Chrissy – Djardel Jicko Mampusti

Monkey Spanner

This team is another established Korean Dota 2 team who has been in every season of the Korean Dota 2 League. During the first season of the tournament, they placed second in Tier 2 but were unable to get promoted to Tier 1. This was an impressive feat as it was their first time to compete officially. They had the same results in season 2. 

Here are the names of the players who previously played with them. 

• Tenbird – Jeffrey Yi
• Nace – Han Jeong Hun
• Lana – Oh Sung Hyun
• SevenStar – Park Gap Yeol 
• JesusSt1ck – Park Yoon Soo

These are just some of the teams that are widely recognized in the South Korean Dota 2 scene. Though the majority of these teams may not be that active anymore, their stunning performances during their careers make it known that they too can pour their best efforts into the game. 

Given that some members of the disbanded teams are still playing for other teams, there remains a chance that Dota 2 can someday be known as a popular game in South Korea too!