If you look at the Southeast Asian Dota 2 scene, you will see that 2023 hasn’t been the best year for it. Many of the top-tier squads from previous years couldn’t find their spot among the best in the world. Consequently, we will only see a couple of teams at The International 12, one of which is Talon Esports.
Talon Esports is an exciting squad that established itself as the leader in SEA, at least in 2023. Although the team hasn’t been able to win a big tournament, it came close twice. That’s why it’s safe to say the team has a lot to offer.
It definitely won’t be easy for Talon Esports to win TI 12, but the team has a good chance of securing one of the top 3 slots. There are a lot of important things to know about this squad, so let’s dive in.
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Talon Esports Overview
In case you are not aware, Talon Esports is one of the leading esports organizations in Hong Kong. It has had a key role in the Dota 2 scene for some time now, and its current roster has been together for more than one year. The team has been home to a lot of top-tier players, even names outside of SEA, such as Tal “Fly” Aizik. With that said, the current roster consists of the following players:
- Nuengnara “23savage” Teeramahanon
- Anucha “Jabz” Jirawong
- Rafli “Mikoto” Fathur Rahman
- Worawit “Q” Mekchai
- Chan “Oli” Chon Kien
The team’s carry player has been a part of it since 2021, whereas the other four members joined later on, in 2022. As mentioned, the roster couldn’t win any of the big events, but it performed a lot better than most people expected.
Talon Esports’ Results in 2023
As one of the strongest Dota 2 teams in Southeast Asia, Talon Esports achieved interesting results this year. Similar to our overviews of the other teams, we will share more details about each event the team was a part of.
The Lima Major 2023
The first big tournament of 2023 was perfect for Talon Esports. In fact, it’s safe to say this squad exceeded expectations.
Talon finished 4th in Group A, which gave the squad the chance to secure a slot for the Upper Bracket. Sadly, the team was unlucky, as it had to face Team Liquid, who ended up defeating them.
After dropping in the Lower Bracket, Talon Esports defeated HellRaisers, Team Spirit, Entity, and Shopify Rebellion. Talon Esports reached the Lower Bracket Final, but it was unlucky yet again because it couldn’t defeat Team Liquid.
DreamLeague Season 19
Following the good results at The Lima Major 2023, many expected Talon Esports to perform well at DreamLeague Season 19. However, this was not the case because the team was eliminated in the Group Stage. It wasn’t able to defeat anyone and secured 5 draws and 2 losses.
ESL One Berlin Major 2023
Talon Esports took part in the second Major of the 2023 DPC, where it finished 5th in Group B. The bad news for the team was that this slot only gave it the chance to play in the Lower Bracket. Although it was able to defeat PSG.LGD, the roster lost against Evil Geniuses in the second round. This put an end to the team’s ambitions to win a Valve event.
DreamLeague Season 20
Unlike Talon Esports’ results at DreamLeague Season 19, the team performed much better during Season 20. In fact, it finished third in Group A, allowing it to participate in the Second Group. Even though it wasn’t able to be among the two best team, the team got 4th place and secured a slot for the Playoffs. The bad news was that Talon had to play against Gaimin Gladiator, and the team wasn’t able to win this match.
Despite the impressive results at DLS20, Talon Esports was unable to secure a slot for the Bali Major 2023. Thankfully, it secured enough DPC points that allowed it to get a direct invitation for The International 12.
Riyadh Masters 2023
The Riyadh Masters 2023 was one of the biggest and most impressive Dota 2 tournaments of the year and Talon Esports performed much better than expected. The team was placed in Group B, where it finished 4th, securing itself a slot for the Upper Bracket. Once the Playoffs began, Talon defeated Quest Esports but lost the next match against Team Liquid.
In the lower Bracket, Talon defeated 9Pandas and Gaimin Gladiators before meeting its executors yet again. Sadly, Talon could not bounce back in the rematch against Team Liquid and lost the clash. This gave the team the third place.
DreamLeague Season 21
The last tournament that Talon Esports was a part of before the arrival of The International 12 was DreamLeague Season 21. Fans had a lot of expectations for the SEA club after Riyadh, but Rafli “Mikoto” Fathur Rahman and co. failed to impress them.
Although the squad was one of the favorites in Group A, Talon Esports failed to win and finished last in the group without a single victory. This meant that the club was eliminated from the tournament.
Talon Esports at The International 12
Sadly, one of the problems of Talon Esports is that the team is not as consistent as some of its rivals. As we’ve seen from its results, there are events where the superstars perform really well, and then there are tournaments where they fail to impress. Hopefully, TI 12 will be one of the tournaments where the team will live up to its fans’ expectations.
Speaking of The International 12, make sure to follow BLIX for more information and daily predictions. We will give you all the important details about the hottest Dota 2 matches.
