Some call him Dota’s prodigal son while others refer to him as the Lord of Offlaners. Most people just refer to him as God. Whatever your allegiance (here’s looking at you SECRET and OG), you’ve got to admit — Daryl “iceiceice” Koh Pei Xiang is a class above the rest.
Considered by many as one of the best solo mid/offlane players in the world, the Singaporean pro player raised eyebrows when he decided to make the switch to the North American region to play with his new Dota 2 roster Evil Geniuses.
After all, he started his Dota 2 journey by playing in Southeast Asia from 2011 to 2013. Who can forget his move to China where he joined the notorious TEAM DK followed by a shift to Vici Gaming and EHOME. After a fifth/sixth place exit at TI6, the king finally returned to home soil only to leave for greener pastures abroad yet again.
His reason for leaving? A lack of drive. In an interview with Yahoo earlier this year, he said that he was “getting too lazy and comfortable” in his home region.
1. So Far, So Good
The move to Evil Geniuses (EG) in North America has been looking promising so far. His first win came in January this year when Evil Geniuses managed to win their first series of DPC League 2-1.
Despite a closely fought first and second round, EG proved why they’re the best in the business after obliterating their opponents in the third round.
No surprise that iceiceice was the one to lead them to victory. After a tough first 2 rounds, iceiceice stepped up in the third round with Abed to tear 4Zoomers to pieces.
After a well-planned move to send Arteezy to the offlane to avoid Phantom Assassin from facing the Batrider in the lane, Iceiceice’s Tidehunter swooped in to destroy Brax’s Batrider.
Despite Gunnar’s valiant effort on Leshrac, Sammyboy’s Clinkz wasn’t given the time and space to come online.
Game, set and match for EG.
“Eh, sleepy la don’t disturb. No fun to play here anymore…….” (Posted byu/noname6500 on Reddit)
2. Game recognises game
While he prefers to maintain an understated and low-key persona, iceiceice has never shied away from giving credit when its due.
During a Twitch live stream in March, he rated the top SEA Dota 2 players according to the role they usually occupy in professional games.
He took into account all the SEA players that have been to a TI, a Major and the ones that are currently on a team and then placed them into various tiers. S-tier was the highest and the top-rated while G-tier was the lowest one in most of these lists.
For the Carry Position, he put 23savage, Gabbi and Raven under the S tier While Midlaner Position he put Armel, Mikoto,inYourdreaM,Moon and ddz under S tier.
Not bad. Not bad at all.
3. The ties that bind
Despite the glamour of being in one of the most revered gaming outfits around, living abroad without his wife and young son is no walk in the park. In a video interview with One Esports in 2019, he mentioned that while it is natural to miss family while overseas, he’s developed a way to “ignore” them.
“When I travel, I do miss my son and wife a lot. And just home in general. But I’ve learnt to ignore them when I’m overseas.”
Coming back to Singapore for the ONE Esports Singapore Major should have been a reprieve but strict regulations mean that gamers will only be allowed to head to their designated hotels from the airport. No sight-seeing and definitely no coming into contact with the general public.
We all know COVID-19 sucks but at times like these, it sucks even more.
“Daddy Daycare.” (Photo from Facebook)
4. Will he turn up in slippers?
Famous for turning up to major tournaments in shorts and slippers, iceiceice has garnered quite the cult following for his well…..pared-down fashion. Has living in North America changed his dressing style or can we expect the same BBQ-by-the-pool themed dressing?
“I have a passion for fashion. @HAVAINAS @BIRKENSTOCK want to sponsor? (Photo from Facebook)
