Dreams Come True: Mikoto Finally Relocates to Europe to Join Aurora

It’s official – Southeast Asia’s brightest star is finally making the transition he’s always dreamed of. Rafli “Mikoto” Rahman has been welcomed to Aurora as a permanent member, marking the start of a new and exciting chapter in his Dota 2 career. 

The Indonesian mid-laner initially joined the team as a stand-in for FISSURE Universe 7, but was turned into a full-time member a little over a week after the initial announcement. 

Not a stand-in anymore. It’s family now

We are happy to welcome @mikoto347 as our player.

Let’s get to the new heights together ❤️ pic.twitter.com/P7ft10lWPV

— Aurora Dota2 (@AuroraDota2_GG) October 17, 2025

For those who’ve followed Mikoto’s journey and growth as a player, it’s no big surprise. He has been voicing his desire to compete under a European team for the longest time. Mikoto has been dominating Southeast Asia for years, and it was only a matter of time before a top-tier team recognized his talent. 

Since 2018, Mikoto has only played for Southeast Asian teams, representing top names such as BOOM Esports, Bleed Esports, and Talon Esports. He started making waves internationally under Talon Esports when he became the recipient of the MVP award at Riyadh Masters 2023, despite placing third. It’s extremely rare to receive such honors without winning the tournament. 

With how he’s been able to consistently perform at Tier 1 events, many fans consider him the best mid-laner, or even player, Southeast Asia has ever produced. 

Real Recognizes Real

As a fellow Indonesian, I’ve been following Mikoto’s career for a while and know what he’s capable of. But I wasn’t the only one who recognized his potential. 

Now-TI winner Malr1ne ranked the top three mid-laners he’s played against in an interview back in 2024, where he placed Mikoto alongside the likes of Quinn and Nisha. That level of recognition from a peer competing in Europe only reinforced the growing sentiment that Mikoto is genuinely one of the world’s elites. 

I’m honestly super glad to see him competing in Europe, as I felt like he had always been wasting his talent in Southeast Asia. He’s was clearly the best player on any SEA team he’s been on, and he’ll finally get some help – he’s even playing with two TI winners now!

Aurora’s Big Bet

Now, Mikoto will compete ahead of the 2026 season under the Aurora banner with the following roster:

• Egor “Nightfall” Grigorenko
• Rafli “Mikoto” Fathur Rahman
• Alexander “TORONTOTOKYO” Khertek
• Myroslav “Mira” Kolpakov
• Chan “Oli” Chon Kien

Despite going international, Aurora’s roster looks poised for success. They now have two of the most mechanically skilled core players in the world in the form of Nightfall and Mikoto. Back then, they’d have kiyotaka, who wasn’t the most stable player in the world. But now, Mikoto is looking to bring the consistency the team needs to become a top contender. 

Currently, the squad is competing in BLAST Slam IV, where they’re sitting in the middle of the group stage. Though their results might not be too convincing yet, we’ll have to give them time to cook. They’re switching languages and mixing in new strategies from SEA, so let’s not be too critical yet. I have high hopes that Mikoto will perform well in Europe.