Which Dota 2 teams have failed to impress us at ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023 so far? Let’s find out.
A few days after the beginning of the biggest Dota 2 tournament for December 2023, the tournament is slowly coming to an end. With that said, a lot of Dota 2 teams did not live up to the expectations of their fans and got eliminated early on. It’s interesting to see what happened, so let’s take a step back and see the names that did not play as well as they could.
Blacklist International
The first team that a lot of people expected to perform well at ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023 was Blacklist International. Considering that the event takes place in Southeast Asia, the squad had a lot of fans eager to see it play. Sadly, things did not go well for the team because it finished second-last in Group A.
After the initial draw against BetBoom Team, Blacklist International lost the match against Gaimin Gladiators and the one versus Team Secret. The squad got a draw versus Azure Ray and defeated Wawitas Sagazes, but this was not enough. Despite winning one match, BetBoom’s 5 draws gave them the 4th spot in Group A and the ticket for the event’s next stage.
LGD Gaming
The biggest disappointment at ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023 is LGD Gaming. No one can deny that this was one of the big favorites to win the tournament. In fact, a lot of people expected the Chinese powerhouse to have no problems, even against the best. Sadly, this did not happen.
Instead of dominating, LGD Gaming failed to impress and finished 5th in Group B. The Chinese started with an impressive victory against 9Pandas, but this was their only success. After that, LGD got a draw versus Team Liquid, followed by 2 losses against G2.iG and Team Falcons. The last match for the squad was against Tundra Esports, which also ended in a draw, but it was not enough to save them.
Sadly, one of the three big Chinese participants at ESL One Kuala Lumpur is out of the event. We really hope that these results won’t affect the squad’s performance in the upcoming tournament because LGD Gaming has always been one of the biggest names in Dota 2.
LGD’s poor results and G2.iG’s dominance probably means that we are witnessing a new era in the Chinese Dota 2 scene. We can only imagine what’s going to happen once Xtreme Gaming reveals its new roster.
9Pandas
The last name that disappointed a lot of people is 9Pandas. Truth be told, the team from Eastern Europe was never one of the favorites, but considering its roster, people expected it to play much better. Unfortunately, things did not work out, and the squad finished last in Group B.
Speaking of finishing last, 9Pandas did not win a single series. The team lost every match except the one against Team Falcons, where it got a draw. Sadly, this puts an end to the team’s journey for 2023. We hope to see the squad stronger in 2024.
