It’s tough being a SEA Dota 2 fan this spring, especially with the upsets in the Dota Majors and DPC Season . Talon Esports is the only Southeast Asian team in the top twelve on the DPC Leaderboard.
How did our region go from a top contender to a wildcard?
Source: @ggBleed | Twitter
SEA teams underperformed in DPC 2023
The SEA Dota 2 scene has come this far to be recognized as a regional powerhouse at the Internationals (TI). The best record we had was when Fnatic won fourth place at TI6, raking a whopping $1.4M in winnings.
Even in majors, SEA teams are considered among the top candidates. Talon Esports even placed third at Lima Major 2023.
However, besides Talon, the rest of the SEA candidates just didn’t live up to expectations. Execration, Geek Slate and Team SMG all attended recent majors, but got eliminated without advancing into Playoffs.
Talon Esports
“Powerhouses” are gone
Remember when BOOM Esports dominated the last DPC season? Well, they got the “Team Secret” treatment, where they are struggling to remain relevant in Division 1. As a team that formerly placed first in Division 1 and qualified for TI11, that’s an unexpected stepdown.
Meanwhile, Fnatic and T1 were out of the Dota 2 scene altogether, after having a rough start into DPC 2023.
With multiple big players out, there are multiple emerging teams that filled the void in DPC 2023 SEA, such as Bleed Esports, Blacklist International, and Geek Slate. However, nothing’s changed besides the mere namesake, as they still consist of old and seasoned players.
It’s the same stale playstyle that many opponents already encountered, so it’s no wonder SEA teams just aren’t as menacing as its former.
We are no longer hungry, wild and unpredictable
Once known for their unpredictability, SEA teams often pride themselves for pulling up cheesy last-pick Huskar or Meepo and playing aggressively against their opponents. It even became an iconic characteristic of SEA teams to not play within the traditional meta.
What’s happening in DPC Tour 3 was SEA teams playing it too cautiously, it’s even boring to watch. Surely, a massive update with multiple mechanics and map changes have various opportunities to pull off a unique, well-devised plan.
Yet, from the predictable pace of the game to similar hero picks, it almost seems like SEA teams, such as SMG and Execration haven’t tapped into the vast potential of the new Dota 2 Update 7.33
What can SEA teams do at TI12?
Unfortunately, as things stand, SEA teams likely won’t have more than one direct invite to TI12 besides Talon Esports. Sure, Bleed Esports seems to be performing well in DPC Tour 3 SEA with five wins in six matches, but will it be enough?
It’s unlikely for the likes of Bleed to secure a top-twelve finish on DPC leaderboards. That would requite more than winning the DPC Tour 3 SEA as a top-three finisher, but along with a minimum top-eight finish in the upcoming Bali Major 2023. Execration, which would have been the second-best SEA team to qualify for direct invite, could potentially see themselves without a major invite as they lost to Blacklist and Bleed already.
The worst case scenario would be an underwhelming two SEA representatives at TI12, whereby one is Talon Esports and the other would be the unknown winner of TI12 SEA Qualifiers.
About Post Author
