The strongest Dota 2 teams in Southeast Asia’s Division I

Next season will be really challenging for a lot of SEA teams. There are new competitors in the first division and the old ones have either preserved or upgraded their rosters.

At least five of the eight teams have a good chance of qualifying for the first DPC Major and the battle starts on January 9.

The participants

The eight teams that will take part in the league are listed below:

• BOOM Esports
• Talon Esports
• Fnatic
• Blacklist International
• Team SMG
• Bleed Esports
• Execration
• Geek Fam

All of the top five teams on this list could easily qualify for the Major. But the big favorites are Talon Esports, Fnatic, and Blacklist International.

Talon Esports

Last season, Talon qualified for The International but only managed to finish 17th-18th. The team was much stronger than that but it lacked a formidable captain. That problem was solved in November 2022, when Anucha “Jabz” Jirawong was bought from Fnatic.

This move was a huge blow to Fnatic and a massive upgrade for Talon. In their new formula, Talon are probably the strongest team in SEA. One thing is certain: they have the strongest player in the region and he also happens to be the highest MMR player in the world.

Nuengnara “23savage” Teeramahanon is the team’s carry and he reached 13.000 MMR just a few weeks ago. His talent will be extremely valuable to Talon, who will try to not only win Tour 1 but also get an excellent result at the first DPC Major in 2023.

Fnatic

Despite losing Jabz, Fnatic are still a strong team. Players like Armel “Armel” Tabios and Djardel “DJ” Mampusti have been playing professionally for many years and their results speak for themselves. In DJ’s case, he’s been a Fnatic player for almost six years, which is quite rare in the world of esports.

Usually, players stay for 1-3 years at a club and then they join a different one. This keeps them motivated to constantly prove and improve themselves. But DJ seems to love this organization and his best result so far was the fourth place he got at The International 16. That was Fnatic’s highest peak in Dota 2.

Blacklist International

Blacklist International is a new team that belongs to a powerful esports organization in the region. The roster is made up of a lot of famous players, including Timothy “Tims” Randrup and Marc “Raven” Fausto. Both of these players know what it means to win big events and compete at The International.

This year, they will attempt to win all three Tours with Blacklist. It remains to be seen if they can do it.

Header: Blacklist International