The first major Dota 2 tournament after The International 2023, namely ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023, has officially concluded. The Chinese team Azure Ray delivered a major upset by winning the tournament. Azure Ray completed a reverse sweep against their opponent in the grand finals, Gaimin Gladiators.

The grand finals match, held on Sunday, December 17, 2023, was highly intense. On paper, Gaimin Gladiators were the favorites due to their strong performance as runners-up at The International 2023 and their earlier victory over Azure Ray in the upper bracket.

Azure Ray 3-2 Gaimin Gladiators in the Grand Finals

Gaimin Gladiators managed to win the first two games convincingly and needed just one more win to secure the title. However, Azure Ray refused to give up. They adapted their playstyle, and the change paid off as they went on to win the next three games in a row, completing a 3–2 comeback.

With this victory, Azure Ray were officially crowned champions of ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023. This marks the team’s first trophy since being formed in mid-2023. At The International 2023, Azure Ray had already shown promise as an underdog by finishing in the top four.

ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023 was successfully held from December 11 to 17, 2023 in Malaysia. The tournament featured 12 of the best Dota 2 teams competing for a total prize pool of US$1 million (approximately IDR 15 billion). The next major Dota 2 tournament will be DreamLeague Season 22, scheduled to take place in February 2024.

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