Whitemon Slams Pro Dota Scene in Indonesia

Tundra Esports support player Matthew “Whitemon” Filemon has expressed concerns about the state of professional Dota 2 player development in Indonesia, which he believes is at its lowest point, especially when compared to the international competitive scene.

During one of his livestreams, the 24-year-old Indonesian player declared that the competitive Dota scene in his country is dying and that it will likely be difficult to find new talent in the near future. He explained that current pros are overly fixated on chasing competitive standards in Asia, resulting in most only playing for teams within that region.

Compounding the issue, he highlighted that the ease of accessing mobile games on smartphones is further diminishing new players’ interest in more complex MOBAs like Dota. As he noted last season, the Southeast Asian mobile gaming market—particularly in Indonesia—is still dominated by MLBB and Honor of Kings.

Whitemon’s own journey stands in stark contrast to the trends he laments. After all, he is recognized as one of Indonesia’s most prolific and accomplished Dota professionals, having competed across three continents and shared lanes alongside popular figures such as Marc “Raven” Fausto, Topias “Topson” Taavitsainen, Anathan “ana” Pham and Anton “Dyrachyo” Shkedrov.

Beyond this, Whitemon is celebrated as one of the first Indonesian players to break into the prestigious The International competition in 2021. At the time, he and his teammate Kenny “Xepher” Deo were part of the Philippines-based organization T1.