As fate would have it, the Oracle’s prophecy came true as Azure Ray emerged triumphant at ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023 powered by Intel.
Their 3:2 reverse sweep victory capped off an adrenaline-packed weekend of high-level Dota 2 that thrilled the energetic crowd in the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC). Over 18,000 fans attended the playoffs over three days to soak in the atmosphere of the first arena-scale Dota 2 LAN tournament after The International 2023, and the second tournament in the ESL Pro Tour (EPT) Season 2.
Azure Ray outmanoeuvred 11 of the world’s best teams, including runners-up Gaimin Gladiators in a fiercely contested grand finals, which saw Azure Ray come back from a 0-2 scoreline to claim the crown for themselves in a 3:2 victory. Their team chemistry, teamwork and experience helped them walk home with the grand prize of US$300,000 (RM1,410,000) from the US$1,000,000 (RM4,700,000) prize pool.
The victory also netted them 4,800 EPT points out of 19,980 available. These valuable points help determine which teams place high enough on the Leaderboard to receive a direct invite to the showdown competition, DreamLeague Season 22.
For their valiant effort, Gaimin Gladiators took home US$175,000 (RM822.500) and 3,600 EPT points. Third place went to Team Liquid, who received US$120,000 (RM564,000) and 3,000 EPT points.
“It’s been an exhilarating journey bringing ESL One powered by Intel® back to Malaysia, and for the first time, Kuala Lumpur. MITEC was truly buzzing, with the arena alive as thousands of passionate fans soaked up a sensational weekend of Dota 2 action, culminating in a Grand Final showdown for the ages,” said Shane Clarke, Director of Game Ecosystems for Dota 2 at ESL FACEIT Group.
“Congratulations to Azure Ray on a well-deserved victory, and thank you to all our fans, partners, and staff, who helped make ESL One Kuala Lumpur powered by Intel® 2023 a success,” said Caitlin Kang, Senior Director of Business Operations APJ, Managing Director of ESL Malaysia at ESL FACEIT Group.
ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023 saw a peak viewership of over 335,000* concurrent viewers, and over 8 million hours watched over the six days of competition.
Final Standings:
| Placing | Team | Prize Money | EPT Points |
| 1st | Azure Ray | US$300,000 | 4,800 |
| 2nd | Gaimin Gladiators | US$175,000 | 3,600 |
| 3rd | Team Liquid | US$120,000 | 3,000 |
| 4th | BetBoom Team | US$85,000 | 2,400 |
| 5th– 6th | G2.IG Team Falcons | US$57,500 | 1,680 |
| 7th– 8th | Tundra Team Secret | US$47,500 | 780 |
| 9th– 10th | LGD Gaming Blacklist International | US$30,000 | 420 |
| 11th– 12th | 9Pandas Wawitas Sagazes | US$25,000 | 210 |
For more information about ESL One Dota 2 events, fans can check out the official website, and follow ESL Dota 2 on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook.
