Just because the DPC season is officially over it doesn't mean there are no more tournaments that fans can enjoy. Tomorrow marks the start of the ESL One Malaysia 2022. What makes this a bit special for Dota 2 fans is the fact that it's been four years since ESL organized a tournament here. The prize pool is set at $400,000.
There were supposed to be seven teams, but the last invited team canceled. As a result, there are now six joining the tournament through the qualifiers:
- Invited
- OG
- Fnatic
- Alliance
- Team Liquid
- Team Secret
- Nigma Galaxy
- Qualifier
- Entity (Europe)
- Team Aster (China)
- TSM (North America)
- Thunder Awaken (South America)
- BOOM Esports (Southeast Asia)
- Talon Esports (Southeast Asia)
Format
For ESL One Malaysia, the Group Stage starts on August 23 and runs until August 25. There are two groups of six teams following a single round-robin format with all matches at Bo2. The top two teams from each group advance to the upper bracket of the playoffs. Meanwhile, the third- and fourth-place teams from each group move to the lower bracket. The remaining teams are eliminated.
Playoffs follow a double elimination bracket with all matches at Bo3 except for the Grand Final at Bo5. Playoffs start on August 26 with the Grand Final scheduled for August 28.
Visa Issues
Like the recently ended Arlington Major, it’s not without its problems. There are still players that face visa issues like Adam "Aramis" Moroz of Alliance, which is being replaced temporarily by Sakis "dEsire" Kartsampas.
It's bad news for OG fans with team captain Mikhail "Misha" Agatov again not being able to compete. For this tournament, it's going to be OG's coach Evgenii "Chuvash" Makarov serving as a stand-in.
Health Concerns
It’s not just visa issues plaguing the tournament; teams also need to deal with health problems. After the roster fiasco that was the Arlington Major, Fnatic has once again called a stand-in for Marc “Raven” Fausto. The team's carry won't be able to join his team after showing symptoms and later testing positive for COVID-19. According to the team, Raven “is currently in isolation and well on his way to recovery.” Serving as stand-in is Jinn “Palos” Lamatao of Execration.
It's pretty much the same story for Nigma Galaxy. Though not revealed exactly what the issue is, the team shared that Amer "Miracle-" Al-Barkawi won't be able to compete due to "health issues" and is temporarily bringing in Randy "Dreamocel" Sapoetra for this tournament.
What about you? Excited to watch the tournament?
