Blacklist International, the newest tier-1 Dota 2 team

Every season, a small number of new Dota 2 teams enter this esport. They usually consist of established rosters that get signed by important organizations but in many cases, they don’t last very long.

In Dota 2, if you want to make money you need to finish in the top eight or at least the top 12 at The International. And achieving that is really difficult. Even world-class organizations whose Dota 2 teams are led by some of the best players in the history of the game find it challenging to succeed at the highest level.

It takes years to forge a strong roster and very few orgs are willing to make a long-term investment. It’s quite risky and may not yield the desired results.

What we generally see are cases of orgs like Soniqs, which sign a roster right before the start of The International, to guarantee themselves decent exposure in exchange for paying for the players’ expenses.

But Blacklist International has done something quite different. It signed a solid Southeast Asian roster and will attempt to conquer this region right from the start of the new season.

About Blacklist International

Blacklist International belongs to Tier One Entertainment, an important company based in the Philippines. Its message is quite bold and its business partners include Kayac, Warner Music Group, Atlas Ventures, and more.

The YouTube channel of Tier One Entertainment has nearly 250.000 subscribers, which is not bad at all.

Tier One brands itself as a gaming and esports entertainment leader in Southeast Asia. It remains to be seen if its Dota 2 adventure ends up being a success or not. Most likely, the company hopes to build more credibility by having its own esports team and by competing in the best Dota 2 league in the region.

This will inevitably grow its following little by little and who knows? With a participation at The International 12, it might even achieve a high level of success.

Blacklist International’s roster

The players that got signed by Blacklist International are some of the best in Southeast Asia. This means that the org is serious about succeeding, at least regionally.

• Marc “Raven” Luis Fausto
• Karl “Karl” Bladovino
• Carlo “Kuku” Palad
• Timothy “TIMS” Randrup
• Nico “eyyou” Barcelon

For anyone who has been following Dota 2 and especially SEA Dota for the past five years, these names should all sound familiar. These are great players with high achievements and although some would say that their best days are behind them, the truth is that they still have great potential for the future.

Header: Blacklist International