ChaiViz
03.07.2026
Rafli "Mikoto" Fathur Rahman did not have an easy route into professional Dota 2. He picked up the game through his brother, who introduced him to it and later helped convince skeptical parents that esports was worth pursuing as a career. That belief paid off fast. Mikoto spent his early years grinding ranked queues out of local internet cafes in Indonesia, and by February 2020 he had reached 10,000 MMR, becoming the first Indonesian player and only the sixth player in the world to hit that mark.
The road from there to where he stands now with Aurora Gaming was not a straight line. Mikoto's professional career began in 2017 with Pandora Esports, where he played alongside Saeful "Fbz" Ilham and Bricio Adi "Hyde" Putra Budiyana in regional Southeast Asian qualifiers. A move to Alter Ego followed in 2018, then a four year run with BOOM Esports that included a 4th-5th place finish at the StarLadder ImbaTV Dota 2 Minor Season 3. After a brief stop with Neon Esports and a stint with Nigma Galaxy SEA, Mikoto landed with Talon Esports, where he qualified for three straight editions of The International, including a 7th-8th finish at TI 2023 on DPC points.
If you are using Gocore's Pick'ems to track Southeast Asian talent before placing your picks, Mikoto's career arc is exactly the kind of storyline that should factor into your reasoning.
His time with Talon also built his reputation among peers. At TI 2024, where the team finished 13th-16th, multiple rivals singled Mikoto out as one of the best in the world at his role. Malr1ne called him one of the best midlaners in the scene, Yatoro described him as one of the strongest and most hardworking players he had competed against, and streamer Nix ranked him among the strongest midlaners at the event. That kind of praise from players with multiple Aegis runs between them does not happen by accident.
The path was not without setbacks. In early 2024, Mikoto moved to Bleed Esports, but results did not follow and his form looked rusty by his own admission. He later revealed that Bleed Esports failed to pay his salary for four of the six months he was under contract, only paying for the first two. The situation became part of a wider controversy around the organization's financial practices. Mikoto returned to Talon shortly after, rebuilding form before the move that defines his current chapter.
In October 2025, Mikoto joined Aurora Gaming. The early results were mixed, with a lower bracket quarterfinal exit at FISSURE Universe: Episode 7 and a group stage finish at DreamLeague Season 27. Aurora also finished 5th-6th at BLAST Slam IV. Then, at FISSURE Universe: Episode 8 to open 2026, Aurora Gaming became champions, defeating Team Spirit in the grand final. It marked the first major title of Mikoto's career and validated everything his peers had been saying about him since TI 2024.
Any Dota tier list built around Southeast Asian midlaners has to account for what Mikoto brings on a dota betting site worth of competitive resume now: a 10,000 MMR pedigree, praise from two-time TI winners, and a championship that proves it all translates to the biggest stages.
Aurora followed up the title with a 5th-6th place finish at ESL One Birmingham 2026, showing the team's consistency was not a one-off. With nearly $630,000 in career prize money and a regional legacy that started in internet cafes, Mikoto's story is still being written, and Aurora Gaming looks like the team that finally gives him the stage his talent has always deserved.
Gocore tracks every major Dota 2 roster and result, so when Aurora's next tournament run begins, you will have everything you need to make sharp Pick'ems calls.
ChaiViz
03.07.2026
Article TAGS
News Feed
He lost his mother, nearly lost his health, and nearly walked away from the game entirely. Then Samuel "Boxi" Svahn won The International. This is the story of Dota 2's most resilient support.
The International 2026 curtain has barely closed, and Dota 2's offseason is already a wildfire of disbandments, retirements, and roster rumors touching nearly every top organization.
BLAST Slam VII's $1 million playoff bracket is set and Team Falcons are the pick to reach the grand final in Copenhagen, but PARIVISION's DreamLeague title and LGD's dominant group stage run make every upper bracket match a serious test.
PARIVISION claim the inaugural NarodCast PREMIER SERIES title, sweeping through the entire playoff bracket without dropping a map to take home the $50,000 first prize.
At just 22, Yatoro has already claimed two International titles, won two additional Tier 1 tournaments in 2025 alone, and become the first reported player ever to reach 17,000 MMR. This is the story of Dota 2's most dominant carry.
Team Falcons are looking like the team to beat at 1win Essence II, but 1w Team's lower bracket run could make the grand final far more interesting than anyone expected. Here are the Gocore Pick'ems predictions for every remaining series.
Welcome to The Weekly Ward: Meme Vision, your weekly reconnaissance into the best Dota 2 community humor. Just like a well-placed ward reveals enemy movements, we're here to provide vision into the memes that defined the week.
Three International titles between 2012 and 2016 made China the dominant power in early Dota 2, but a decade of near-misses and Grand Final defeats has left the region hungry for the one result that has eluded it since Wings Gaming's crowning in Seattle.
Team Yandex and Aurora Gaming topped their respective groups at ESL One Birmingham 2026, with eight teams advancing to the playoffs and Indonesian mid laner Mikoto emerging as the tournament's standout performer from the preliminary stage.
Team Liquid swept reigning TI champions Team Falcons 3-0 in the grand final of 1win Essence II, the last major Dota 2 event before The International 2026, delivering a massive momentum statement heading into the world championship.