Azure Ray Triumphs at ESL One Kuala Lumpur
On Sunday, December 17, the final major Dota 2 tournament of 2023 concluded. The ESL One Kuala Lumpur finals saw a showdown between Azure Ray and Gaimin Gladiators.
Both teams started in Group A, with Azure Ray finishing top of the group and Gaimin Gladiators coming in second. In the first round of the upper bracket playoffs, Azure Ray defeated Team Falcons (2:1), while Gaimin Gladiators bested G2.iG (2:1). This set the stage for the upper bracket final between Azure Ray and Gaimin Gladiators, where Gaimin Gladiators secured a decisive 2:0 victory.
Azure Ray then fell to the lower bracket, where they made a comeback, defeating Team Liquid (2:1) on their way to the grand final.
The best-of-5 grand final began with two crushing victories by Gaimin Gladiators, but the European team failed to clinch the match point. Azure Ray not only equalized the series but also emerged victorious in the decisive fifth map with a 3:2 score.
The total prize pool for ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023 amounted to $1,000,000.
Prize Pool Distribution
- 1st — $300,000 — Azure Ray
- 2nd — $175,000 — Gaimin Gladiators
- 3rd — $120,000 — Team Liquid
- 4th — $85,000 — BetBoom Team
- 5th-6th — $57,500 — Team Falcons, G2.iG
- 7th-8th — $47,500 — Team Secret, Tundra Esports
- 9th-10th — $30,000 — Blacklist International, LGD Gaming
- 11th-12th — $25,000 — Wawitas Sagazes, 9Pandas