Dota 2
The final big Dota 2 tournament in 2023 will be ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023. This event will end in 2023 for professional Dota 2, and it will also be the first big competition of the new season. After covering the qualifiers, it is time to take a complete look at the tournament, so let's begin.
Overview, Format, Prize Pool & More
ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023 is an event organized by ESL and sponsored by 1xBet, SAP, Monster Energy, DHL, Predator, and Intel. The event will take place in Malaysia's capital, and people can follow it in person at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre.
Regarding the format, there will be twelve teams, three of which were invited, whereas the others have secured a slot via qualifiers. There have been a lot of roster changes since we learned about all the participants, but there is no arguing that the event will be unique to watch.
The 12 Dota 2 teams at ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023 will be split into two groups. After the games, the two 2 squads from each group will advance to the Upper Bracket, whereas the 3rd and 4th-placed teams go to the Lower Bracket.
Once we see the playoffs, we will have a double-elimination bracket with Bo3 matches. The Grand Final will be a Bo5, so we can expect to see an epic match.
We will have $1,000,000 and 19980 EPT points for the prize pool. EPT stands for ESL Pro Tour, combining all tournaments under the ESL FACEIT group. The teams with the most EPT points will eventually be invited to even more impressive tournaments.
Participants
Regarding the teams that will participate in the tournament, we've already covered most of them when we reviewed the results from the qualifiers. That said, here is the complete list of ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023 squads.
Group A
- Azure Ray
- BetBoom Team
- Blacklist International
- Wawitas Sagazes
- Team Secrets
- Gaimin Gladiators
Group B
- Invictus Gaming
- LGD Gaming
- TSM
- 9Pandas
- Team Falcons
- Team Liquid
You don't need to be a prominent Dota 2 expert to spot the favorites in the two groups. We know that Dota 2 is an unpredictable game, so instead of discussing the favorites, we want to discuss some underdogs.
Blacklist International
There is no arguing that BI has one of the most exciting rosters at ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023. The squad couldn't fight against the best in the world earlier this year, but it won the most recent qualifier. Consequently, Abed "Abed" Yusop and the rest will have the opportunity to prove themselves.
Blacklist International is in Group A, where it will have to compete against some of the big favorites. Gaimin Gladiator stands out here, but we can also include BetBoom in the favorites list. The squad from Eastern Europe has proven extremely deadly under challenging situations, so you never know what will happen.
Wawitas Sagazes
The second big ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023 underdog is Wawitas Sagazes, the team from South America. This region is going through many things because all the big names there decided to drop their rosters. Unsurprisingly, this has created many new teams, including Wawitas Sagazes.
Considering the squad consists of big names from EG and beastcoast, we expect to go down with a fight. It won't be easy for WS to defeat the likes of Gaimin Gladiators or BetBoom Team, but it has what it takes to overcome the rest.
TSM
If we look at Group B, the two teams are not on the same level as the rest, at least on paper. One of them is TSM, the team from North America that will try to prove to its fans that it can also defeat opponents outside of its region.
2023 was not the greatest for Ilyas "kasane" Gainullin and Co. because the team did not perform well. However, following the roster changes, TSM seems deadlier than before, so we can't wait to see if the team will achieve good results.
Team Falcons
Although some of you expected to find Invictus Gaming on the list, we believe that Team Falcons is the second underdog in Group B. This newly formed roster was able to rip through its competitors in MENA. Ultimately, the team got the only slot from the region and will compete in its first big tournament.
We only put Team Falcons here because this will be the squad's first big tournament. With that said, it has the likes of Ammar "ATF" Al-Assaf, Andreas "Cr1t-" Nielsen, Oliver "skiter" Lepko, and others, so it definitely has the firepower.
Conclusion
Group B will be fun because every team can beat the rest. LGD Gaming and IG have undergone massive roster changes and look deadlier than ever. 9Pandas has proven it can work well under pressure and will try to deal with its opponents. There is no need to say anything about Team Liquid because everyone knows it is one of the best in the world.
Be sure to follow us for more details about this tournament. We will provide you with extra information in the next couple of days. Also, we will have unique daily predictions for some of the most intriguing matches.
