ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023 Western Europe Closed Qualifier: an easy outing for Team Liquid and a test for the revamped squads

The closed qualifications for ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023, a major LAN tournament to be held in Singapore with a prize pool of $1,000,000, have started. This event from ESL stunts the biggest Dota 2 event of the end of 2023. Of all the regions, Western Europe stands out. There is a star-studded list of participants, and quite The International ерерсные compositions.

In this article you will learn about the clear outsiders of qualification, why these qualifiers of The International are interesting from the point of view of testing the updated lineups of famous teams, how s4 will try to perform on the big stage again, as well as why Team Liquid is the most likely contender to win the qualification.

Nightshade Esports - Outsiders from Serbia

Serbian team Nightshade Esports won the first open qualification in Western Europe. Some would say that Fonqu and his teammates were lucky with the grid, because they didn't meet Team Tickles, Team Secret or Alliance. But if you look closely, on their way they defeated The Rune, a line-up of experienced talents from Maincast studio and Ukrainian players with high MMR, as well as komanda X mix. The latter featured Team Liquid and Nigma Galaxy legend, MinD_ContRoL, as well as former players from such teams as Ancient Tribe, Natus Vincere and B8. That is not to say that Nightshade's path has been so easy.

Nightshade Esports have a chance to prove themselves against serious opponents in their region. They won't qualify for ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023, but the opportunity to play against Liquid, if they defeat Team Tickles in the first match, is not to be missed.

Checking out the updated squads after the end of The International 2023

Traditionally, after The International we were treated to a series of Reshuffles. BOOM and MidOne returned to Team Secret, but the team managed to pass the open qualifiers on the second attempt, Ledgeiv Alliance in the first regional qualification. Puppey and team have a good chance of claiming one of the two slots in qualifiers if they can achieve the right level of synergy.

The OG roster is bolstered by Wisper from Evil Geniuses and Ari, formerly of North American club TSM. The two-time champions of The International had a significant drop off in their level of play last year and did not travel to the World Championships. This qualification will allow us to assess how the two new players will affect the performance of the renowned squad.

The biggest changes have occurred in the Entity lineup. The team should now rather belong to Eastern Europe than to Western Europe, as the line-up of Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians and Kazakhs can hardly be called a team from the western part of the European continent. By the way, Noone- will miss the qualifiers, re1bl will play in his place. The new Entity squad can be called a dark horse, because on paper it contains some good players, some of whom have already passed the peak of their careers. Will they be able to show decent results? We will find out very soon.

Alliance is an attempt of s4 veteran to return to the big Dota 2 scene.

Things are getting worse and worse for Alliance. This year, the team dropped from third place in the second division of Western Europe to seventh place at the beginning of the season. At the Pinnacle Cup: Malta Vibes tournament series, the results have also deteriorated. The team failed to qualify for BetBoom Dacha and The International 2023.

S4 continues to play for the once legendary team, with whom he won the Dota 2 World Championship back in 2013. We don't know the mood in Alliance management, but there's a chance that this qualification is one of the last attempts for s4, who is already 31 years old, and the Swedish team as a whole to play in a major international LAN tournament.

An easy walk for Team Liquid

At the end of The International 2023 zai took a break from Dota 2, and in his place came 33. The player has proven himself in the Tundra Esports, so it is likely that Team Liquid will not have any problems with him. In general, despite the poor performance in Seattle, Team Liquid remain an extremely strong team and the main favourite for the ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023 Western Europe Closed Qualifier.

Given the seeding for the closed qualifier, Team Liquid will have no problem reaching the final of the top grid, and there they will meet OG, Team Secret, or Entity. Overall, these qualifiers should be an easy outing for Insania and the team.

Conclusion

ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023: Western Europe Closed Qualifier makes The International a great spectacle for all Dota 2 fans, as the qualifiers will feature some of the biggest names in the region. Sporting The International erees is to evaluate the updated line-ups of the notable representatives of Western Europe. Although the name of the favourite is obvious and known even before the start of the closed qualifiers.