TI2 champion, ChuaN returns to competitive Dota 2 as position 4 for Neon Esports

The Dota 2 community celebrates the return of a legendary player. Former TI winner, Wong "ChuaN" Hock Chuan returns to the professional scene as a player after almost 5 years of hiatus. He will be assuming the position 4 role in Neon Esports (formerly known as OB.Neon), following a 7-months coaching stint with the team.

ChuaN is a Malaysian player who won The International 2 with Invictus Gaming. He holds an impressive legacy, being the only Malaysian player to have lifted the Aegis of Champions. He also holds a number of incredible achievements including placing 1st at the ESL One Frankfurt 2014, 7-8th at TI4, and 3rd at the Manila Major 2016.

The 30-year-old support player was last active in 2018, where he played for Echo International, a team fielding household names in the likes of ana and Saksa. After the team disbanded only 2 months before The International 8, ChuaN went inactive for a long time.

In November 2021, ChuaN marked his return to the pro scene, however as a coach. He joined Neon Esports and coached the team for 2 DPC seasons in 21/22, however, they had unpleasing results. Neon Esports was demoted to the Lower Division after placing 7th in Tour 2 of SEA DPC. A week before Tour 3 begins, Neon Esports announced a huge roster change.

"After long consideration ChuaN has decided to return to professional Dota 2. We are excited about what he can do in the DPC Tour III," Neon Esports announced.

We reached out to ChuaN to talk about his return from the long hiatus in pro Dota 2.

The addition of ChuaN to Neon Esports' roster is definitely exciting to see - especially for long-time Dota 2 fans who witnessed him and Invictus Gaming's glorious victory in 2012. This return was prompted by the absence of a suitable position 4 for Neon Esports.

Nevertheless, ChuaN stated that an event had inspired him to come back to the professional scene and it was the 30-year-old Sébastien "Ceb" Debs who recently won his first Major. ChuaN also mentioned that he'll need a lot of practice to get back into shape for the pro scene.

Ceb, who is currently retired, suddenly had to stand in for OG at the ESL One Stockholm Major - which ultimately ended with the trophy in his hands. This moment was undoubtedly inspiring to a lot of people especially those of similar age and status.

From that miraculous run, many people concluded that age might not matter as much as people thought it would. ChuaN believes that age has its impact but with self-discipline, you can minimize the effect.

According to him, age has impacted his gameplay but it's more because he wasn't disciplined.

This is not the first time we have heard a pro player comes out of a hiatus or retirement. In fact, it's quite a popular narrative in Dota 2. One of the biggest stories is when the phenomenal position 4 player, JeraX returned to the pro scene in late 2021 after 2 years of retirement. Recently, fy and Kaka who were both on a long break also made a return to the China DPC.

But coming back after a long break wouldn't be an easy task. According to ChuaN, he wants to focus on climbing back to Division I with Neon Esports. He is also aiming to qualify for TI11 which is coming to Singapore this October.

Catch ChuaN and Neon Esports competing for the promotion slot in SEA DPC Tour 3 Division II. The Regional Leagues will begin in 5 more days, so buckle up!

Stay tuned to Esports.gg for more Dota 2 news and updates!