Everything you need to know ahead of ESL One Kuala Lumpur powered by Intel®

Cologne/New York/Kuala Lumpur, Thursday, December 7th, 2023 - ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023 powered by Intel® is set to be the final Dota 2 LAN tournament of the year at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC) from 11th-17th December.

Here is all you need to know about ESL One Kuala Lumpur:

The second competition in the ESL Pro Tour (EPT) for Dota 2 Season 2, ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023, will see 12 teams from across the globe compete against each other for the title and the biggest share of the $1,000,000 total prize pool and the 19,980 available EPT Points. Starting on December 11th, the teams will be divided into two groups of six. On December 15 - 17, the top four teams from each group will then face off in the live Playoffs at MITEC where only one can be crowned champion.

Schedule and Format:

Group Stage: December 11 - 13

• Teams will be separated into two groups of six which will compete in a single round-robin to determine each team’s seeding. The top two teams from each group advance to the upper bracket of the Playoffs whilst the 3rd to 4th place teams will advance to the lower bracket of the Playoffs. The bottom two teams will be eliminated from the tournament.

Playoffs: December 13-17

• The Playoffs will feature a double elimination with the best teams being placed in the upper bracket and the lower bracket teams fighting for survival. To match the high stakes of the Playoffs all matches will be a best-of-three match to determine who will proceed.

Grand Finals: December 17

• The two best teams will meet each other in the Grand Finals where they’ll play a best-of-five match to prove who will be the best of them all and win the title with the lion’s share of the $1,000,000 total prize pool and the 19,980 available EPT Points.

Teams involved:

The following teams are confirmed to compete in ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023:

• Gaimin Gladiators [Direct Invite]
• LGD Gaming [Direct Invite]
• Azure Ray [Direct Invite]
• Team Liquid [Western Europe Qualifier]
• Team Secret [Western Europe Qualifier]
• BetBoom Team [Eastern Europe Qualifier]
• 9Pandas [Eastern Europe Qualifier]
• Team Falcons [Middle East and Northern Africa Qualifier]
• Invictus Gaming [China Qualifier]
• Blacklist International [Southeast Asia Qualifier]
• Team Undying [North America Qualifier]
• Wawitas Sagazes [South America Qualifier]

Commentators and Analysts:

• Desk Hosts:
  • Neal “Tsunami” Khandheria
  • Jorien “Sheever” van der Heijden

• Sideline Reporter & Stage Host:
  • Jake “Slacks” Kanner

• Commentators / Analysts:
  • Mira “Ephey” Riad
  • Brian “BSJ” Canavan
  • Maurice “KheZu” Gutmann
  • Chan “WinteR” Litt Binn
  • Kevin “Purge” Godec
  • Owen “ODPixel” Davies
  • Troels “syndereN” Lyngholt Nielsen
  • Austin “Cap” Walsh
  • Avery “ SVG” Silverman
  • Mike “MLPDotA” Le Phoenix
  • John Nathan “johnxfire” Fernandez
    
• Remote commentators / Analysts:
  • Gabriel “Lyrical” Cruz
  • Clinton “Fear” Loomis
  • Gareth “Gareth” Bateson
  • Dominic “Lacoste” Stipić
  • Ricky “rkryptic” Peterson
  • Robson “Teaguvnor” Merritt
  • Richie “SeekNStrike” Garcia
  • Johan “pieliedie” Åström
    

Prize Money & EPT Points:

A grand total of $1,000,000 is up for grabs in the prize pool at ESL One Kuala Lumpur. The winners of the tournament will receive the biggest share at $300,000 and the title of ESL One Kuala Lumpur Champion. The runners up will receive a respectable $175,000 for their efforts. The remaining top ten teams will earn for themselves $120,000-$25,000 depending on their final position in the tournament.

Furthermore, ESL One Kuala Lumpur will have a total of 19,980 EPT Points up for grabs. With these valuable points, teams can rise on the Leaderboard in the hopes of eventually receiving a direct invite to the showdown competition. The Champions will be taking home 4,800 Points, with the eleven remaining teams receiving between 210 and 3,600 Points depending on their placement.

On-site activities:

For the fans coming to experience the event on-site, there will be more than just Dota available at ESL One Kuala Lumpur. Whether they are looking to take a break from all the action or have some free time to spare, fans can look forward to several on-site activities:

• Message Wall: Leave your mark on ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023! Write down your predictions for the next Dota 2 patch, something you’d like to achieve, or simply say you were there;
• Balloon artist: Looking for your favourite item? Swing by the Balloon Booth Counter to receive your desired in-game item from the Shopkeeper;
• Airbrush tattoos: Offering a range of designs, enter the Airbrush Tattoo Booth to receive some temporary ink you like. Keep in mind, though, that these also have a cooldown;
• Oracle’s library: It wouldn’t be memorable without somewhere to take some snaps. Take a step into the world of Oracles Library, the perfect place to get some photos and immerse yourself in his office;
• Signing sessions: You’ll have your chance to meet your favorite player and get some bits and pieces signed by them! The below influencers are also already confirmed to be lined up, with the full schedule being revealed over the next couple of days!
  • Shu Faye
  • Xiinya
  • Pindapanda
    
• Cosplay: The more the merrier! Celebrate both Cosplay and Dota 2 with us over the weekend;
• Tarot card reading: Want to find out what your future in Dota looks like? Will you go pro, or will you bomb out and stay in low priority? Navigate your path beyond fate by having your Tarot Card reading done!
• Merchandise: The ESL Shop will be making a pit-stop at ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023, featuring a wide range of official pro team apparel and unique event collectibles, including ESL One mousepads, keycaps, and pins.
• AMA sessions: Ask Me Anything Sessions will be held over the weekend, with more updates following soon.

Broadcast details:

Fans can watch ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023 on the ESL Dota 2 Twitch (Main, Ember, and Storm) and YouTube channels, and via dedicated broadcast partners. Those looking to experience the action live can purchase their tickets here - Regular 3-day and Single-day tickets are still available.

For more information about ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023, check out the official website, and follow ESL Dota 2 on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook.

You can find the ESL One Kuala Lumpur press kit here.