Not long after JaCkky’s departure last week, the Captain and Support of BOOM Esports also bid their farewell from the beast team for the next 2022/2023 season.
Rolen Andrei Gabriel “Skem” Ong aka Skem and Timothy “Tims” John Randrup both joined BOOM Esports in late 2021 after parting ways with Dreamocel and Khezcute, filling the Carry and Support roles at the time.Â
Even before joining BOOM, Tims and Skem were already popular among the SEA teams as both were decorated and battle-hardened from the better half of the decade.
Before Joining BOOM Esports
Skem is well known to play in position 1 in his previous teams such as Geek Fam, Cloud 9, and Neon Esports. In his days before joining BOOM Esports, he managed to win several local tournaments such as the BTS Pro Series.
Skem even went as far as playing in NA and Europe server with Cloud 9 and Complexity Gaming. While the runs were short due to the onset of the pandemic, the pickup of international teams prove that his talent is noticeable outside the region.
“When I play in SEA, it’s just near to go home, whatever it in Indonesia or Philippines”, said skem, prior to joining BOOM Esports.
On the other hand, Tims is one of SEA’s most skilled and accomplished position fours and was part of the TNC squad that won SEA region’s second Major at MDL Chengdu 2019. With him on the squad, he also won ESL One Hamburg 2020: the first ESL event won by a Southeast Asian team. Revered for his aggressive playstyle and without any misses in any game, Tims was an all-around player that everybody would wish in their rosters, both locally and abroad,
Joined BOOM Esports on 2021
Hours of playing together with Erin “Yopaj” Ferrer made Skem a very valuable piece of the puzzle during the team’s formation. From Neon Esports, he went to become a hard support for the roster and immediately started work with Tims, the roaming support. The support duo became formidable as they wrestled one DPC season after another from the region’s traditional powerhouses.Â
The two are known to be the most vocal among the players, often discussing the strategy with Mushi. Also a leader in-game, Tims even had to support the others with his charming and friendly personality, especially when it comes to training and skirmish with the other teams.
The duo started the season hot as they won Gamers Galaxy Dubai 2022 and won the first tour’s regional final, managing to qualify in all three majors afterwards. Exemplary performance in the local tournaments and mediocre runs in the majors enabled the team to qualify for TI.
Going to The International event for the first time, Skem and the boys decided to go to a Bootcamp in Malaysia to further polish their skills before the grand event began. Pressure is also present since Tims is the only one who has the experience playing in the premiere event. The efforts eventually paid off as they placed 9th-12th and were responsible for dethroning defending champions Team Spirit.
Departure from BOOM Esports
After The International 11, Skem and Tims spoke with management to consider new opportunities for the upcoming season. Ultimately, BOOM Esports decided to let them go. Tims then went to Blacklist Rivalry while Skem reverted back to being a carry in Geek Fam.
“Thanks for everything you’ve done for BOOM Esports Dota 2 team over the years. We will forever cherish the memories. Good luck further, TIMS.”, said BOOM Esports in their departure announcement.
