Day one of ESL One Kuala Lumpur just wrapped up. With a brand new meta, new rosters and Tundra being an NA team now, lots has changed since The International 2023.
But one thing has always stayed the same in Dota 2 and that is that no team can stay on top for long. I’m sure no one needs reminding that only 1 team has won TI twice in Dota history, let alone consecutively. Now that the landscape has changed so drastically in professional Dota, the battle begins for EPT points and a coveted spot at TI 2024.
Day 1 Dominance
Picture the scene. It’s March 2023 and Gaimin Gladiators have just dominated Team Liquid to take 1st place at the Bali Major. Many thought this was a well deserved, if not slightly fluke win owing to Boxi’s sudden illness before the Grand Finals. What they didn’t think was that it would mark the beginning of an unprecedented 5-tournament win streak. After falling at the final hurdle in October, GG understandably didn’t make any changes during the usual post-TI roster shuffle.
But should they have done? Now that Team Spirit are taking a break, day one at ESL One Kuala Lumpur proved that there are more teams coming for GG’s almost throne. It was only after losing game 1 to Team Secret early in the day that we got a glimpse of the Gaimin Gladiators gameplay we know and love. As much as I’ve enjoyed watching them completely dominate these last 12 months, it’s time for some fresh blood.
Only the newly minted Team Falcons and Tundra Esports won both of their series.
Team Falcons
Falcons’ new roster seems to have hit that sweet spot of veteran players paired with new talent. ATF and Malr1ne are some of the youngest players on the field. But this certainly isn’t Sneyking or Cr1t’s first rodeo. Despite an admittedly small hero pool, we got to see some of ATF’s former OG glory on full display.
This is the first time we’ve got to see them play together, making them something of an unknown entity. It’s often the case that a new roster will perform well at the beginning and fall off once others gather enough data. Hopefully this won’t be the case for Falcons but small hero pools do not make TI winners.
Tundra Esports
What is going on with Tundra? After 4 members left at the end of TI, I certainly thought they’d be a top priority team for those players who found themselves unattached. But no announcement came. Finally, just one day before ESL One Kuala Lumpur was due to begin, TSM, sorry Team Undying, sorry Tundra Esports announced their roster.
It’s still unclear just what is going on here and whether Timado and co will play under Tundra’s flag after this tournament. But for now, they can enjoy the fruit of their hard work.
ESL One Kuala Lumpur Meta
There was only a small patch after TI. Nothing really to speak of compared to the game changers we’re used to. But a new meta has still come into fashion.
After 24 games played on day 1, 23 of them contested Grimstroke. Ink Swell really is the spell of the moment and it’s easy to see why. The movement speed buff, fairly reliable stun and damage output makes it a good all rounder.
It’ll come as a shock to absolutely no one that Tusk is next up on the most contested list, pretty much for the same reason. He’s an all round brawler with mobility and a good save. What more could you want from a flex hero?
However, most teams are very much in their experimental phase at the moment. We’ve seen support Centaur and mid Rubick. But one question remains: Crystal Maiden buff when?
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