Cover-Credits:
ESL has revealed the group brackets for the upcoming ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023 tournament set to kick off on 11th December 2023. The event boasts twelve teams from around the world, with three receiving direct invites. However, Team Spirit withdrew from the competition due to health concerns.
The three invited squads — Azure Ray, Gaimin Gladiators, and LGD Gaming — are set to participate alongside teams from Western Europe, Eastern Europe, MENA [Middle East & North Africa], China, Southeast Asia, North America, and South America who secured their spot at the tournament through their respective regional qualifiers.
The tournament will commence with a group stage (11th to 13th December 2023), featuring two single round-robin groups, with each group comprising six teams. All series will consist of two games and this will determine the top two teams advancing to the upper bracket of playoffs. Meanwhile, the 3rd and 4th place teams will head to the lower bracket playoffs, and the rest will be eliminated.
ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023 Teams & Groups
Group A:
Azure Ray
BetBoom Team
Blacklist International
Gaimin Gladiators
Team Secret
Wawitas Sagazes
Group B:
9Pandas
Invictus Gaming
LGD Gaming
Team Falcons
Team Liquid
Team SoloMid (TSM)
On the tournament's first day, slated for 11th December 2023, fans can look forward to a thrilling start with a total of 14 games scheduled to unfold.
Storylines To Follow at ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023
Azure Ray and BetBoom Team, two rival teams who have had previous conflicts between them, now find themselves in the same group: Group A. Fans can be sure that the two will fight tooth and nail in the series.
One of the top teams at the tournament, Gaimin Gladiators, has stuck with its original The International roster. While it won six tournaments this year, falling short at The Internationals 2023 grand finals, the team would look to bounce back and finish the year on a high with one more title under its belt.
The All Filipino team, Blacklist International, is the only South East Asian team in the tournament that is being hosted in South East Asia. SEA fans will undoubtedly extend their full support to their home team.
Meanwhile, fans have their share of doubts about the new LGD Gaming roster just like how they expressed doubts about its previous iteration. However, it should be noted that, despite the uncertainty, LGD surprisingly managed to do well at the The International 2023 where it secured a respectable 3rd place. LGD Gaming would want to repeat its magic and surprise the crowds once again At ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023.
Team Falcons, the newly formed team based out of the MENA region, will also be a talking point at the tournament given the fact that it features star players like Ammar "ATF" Al-Assaf.
With the tournament happening in Malaysia, a lot of eyes will be on Invictus Gaming naturally as it features three Malaysian players in Cheng "NothingToSay" Jin Xiang, Thiay "JT-" Jun Wen, and Yap "xNova" Jian Wei.
ESL Points Distribution
In addition to winning prize money in ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023, teams will also accumulate EPT [ESL Pro Tour] points. For those who might be new to the idea, ESL introduced EPT Points, a new system where teams earn EPT Points by participating in EPT events.
Notably, the closer an EPT event is to the end of the season, the more EPT Points are awarded. These EPT Points play a crucial role in deciding which teams receive direct invites to EPT events, access to closed qualifiers, and direct invitations to the group stage of an undisclosed tournament.
The DreamLeague Season 21 marked the commencement of the EPT's second season. This means that the results of this event contribute to the overall EPT leaderboard, shaping the landscape for future competitions.
The EPT Points distribution for ESL One Kuala Lumpur are as follows :
The Leaderboard for EPT Season 2 can be accessed on the official ESL website.
