Aurora welcome Oli as position five, board Mikoto as stand-in for FISSURE Universe: Episode 7

Aurora Gaming has blended Southeast Asian talent into its Eastern European lineup, bringing in Oli and Mikoto for the new season.

Prominent Eastern European team Aurora Gaming have made significant changes to its Dota 2 roster, parting ways with mid laner Gleb “kiyotaka” Ziryanov and position 5 support player Nikita “Pantomem” Balaganin as the 2024/2025 season ends. To the surprise of many, the team have decided to replace them with players from outside their home region for the upcoming season.

Aurora have signed Malaysian position 5 Chon Kien “Oli” Chan and brought in Indonesian mid laner Rafli Fathur “Mikoto” Rahman as a temporary stand-in, just in time for their first tournament of the season–FISSURE Universe: Episode 7.

Formed in late 2023, Aurora initially entered the Southeast Asian scene with the former star-studded lineup of Talon Esports. However, following underwhelming results, the organisation released the roster and relocated to Eastern Europe in February 2025. They went on to sign some of the region’s top talent, including TI champions Alexander “TORONTOTOKYO” Khertek and Miroslaw “Mira” Kolpakov.

Throughout the season, Aurora showed promise with scattered Top 6 finishes across several LAN events, with their best result being 4th place at DreamLeague Season 26. However, their progress stagnated over time, culminating in a disappointing 9th–13th place finish at The International 2025.

Heading into the new season, Aurora is shaking things up by blending EEU and SEA talent. While Oli has officially joined as the team's new position 5, Mikoto will serve as a stand-in mid laner during FISSURE Universe: Episode 7.

Aurora Gaming’s Dota 2 roster:

As for the leaving members, Panto has been transferred to global powerhouse Team Spirit to replace Yaroslav “Miposhka” Naidenov, who will be taking a break from competitive play. As for kiyotaka, there is currently no information about his next move.

Aurora Gaming board Oli and Mikoto

Oli joins Aurora after most recently playing for Yakult Brothers during the 2025 season, and briefly for Talon Esports last month. While with Yakult Brothers, he achieved a Top 6 finish at DreamLeague Season 26, though the team struggled to find consistent success elsewhere. Notably, Oli also participated in TI 2025, receiving a surprise last-minute invite to replace Gaimin Gladiators after their withdrawal.

A veteran support player, Oli is best known for his time with Invictus Gaming from 2018–2022, where he won the ONE Esports Singapore Major and placed 4th at TI 2021.

Joining him is Mikoto, a highly respected midlaner from SEA who will be playing for Aurora as a stand-in. He rose to prominence under Talon Esports in 2023, boasting an impressive track record that includes 3rd-place finishes at both the Lima Major and Riyadh Masters that same year. Despite his regional dominance, Mikoto has yet to find significant success on TI’s stage, often exiting early in the championship.

A busy calendar ahead

Aurora’s new lineup will make its debut at FISSURE Universe: Episode 7, a US$250,000 Tier 2 event, where they’ll face off against newly reshuffled teams like Team Liquid and Nigma Galaxy.

Looking ahead, Aurora Gaming also have a packed end-of-year schedule, with confirmed invitations to BLAST Slam IV, PGL Wallachia Season 6, and DreamLeague Season 27.