Under the SEA (League): A closer look at Reality Rift

This article is part of “Under the SEA (League)” a preview of the teams that will be competing for the US$100,000 prize pool at the ONE Esports Dota 2 SEA League.

Reality Rift is a Singapore-based esports organization that made its Dota 2 debut in June 2019, and was set to compete in the Southeast Asian region. The team’s development has been slow but steady, as it has mostly finished in fifth-sixth place during more recent tournaments.

Here’s a quick rundown of the team’s performance this year, a closer look at the Reality Rift roster, and how the team matches up against its SEA rivals in the ONE Esports Dota 2 SEA League.

Reality Rift roster shuffle post-TI9

Reality Rift ended its 2018-2019 DPC campaign after failing to enter The International 2019 through the SEA open qualifier, with a lineup that included Lee “kYxY” Kong Yang, Wong “NutZ” Jeng Yih, Lukman “Luk” Yusoff Nooraznan, Hiew “Alacrity” Teck Yoong, and Timothy “tmt” Ong.

Going into the new Dota 2 season, the team decided to add Ravdan “Hustla” Narmandakh and Andrew “Drew” Halim to replace Luk and tmt.

2019-2020 DPC Season

Reality Rift struggled to perform during DPC qualifier events and shifted its focus to lesser known tournaments, which have served to help develop the team’s chemistry and performance.

At the end of 2019, Reality Rift finally got its big break after qualifying for the DreamLeague Season 13 DPC major. The team dominated its group and soundly defeated Cignal Ultra in the semifinals.

However, the team dropped to the lower bracket after a mediocre group stage showing and was eventually eliminated by TNC on the second day of the main event.

Reality Rift would then bounce back and qualify for the ONE Esports Dota 2 Jakarta Invitational by defeating Cignal Ultra in the Grand Final.

After another trying performance during the final DPC major/minor qualifier at ESL One Los Angeles 2020, the 2019-2020 DPC season was halted and The International 2020 was postponed due to the still ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic.

This led Reality Rift to participate in more online regional leagues, where it faced off against other SEA teams. The team has consistently finished in sixth place leading up to the ONE Esports Dota 2 SEA League.

Team Breakdown

Reality Rift has two SEA veterans, NutZ and kYxY who provide the team with great leadership and a vast knowledge of the game. NutZ is a Singaporean pro player who’s been competing since 2013, and serves as team captain and hard support; while kYxY is the team’s offlaner who has been part of the biggest teams in SEA like Orange, Titan, Fnatic, and Mineski.

The team’s mid lane responsibility is shouldered by AlaCrity, who broke into the competitive Dota 2 scene early in his career for his memorable Invoker performances.

Reality Rift also has two new rising talents in Hustla and Drew. They have consistently been improving as they continue to gain experience and compete against the best teams in SEA.

Reality Rift Roster:

(1) Andrew “Drew” Halim
(2) Hiew “AlaCrity” Teck Yoong
(3) Lee “kYxY” Kong Yang
(4) Ravdan “Hustla” Narmandakh
(5) Wong “NutZ” Jeng Yih

The ONE Esports Dota 2 SEA League starts on June 18.