by After a four-year hiatus, Dota 2 action will return to Malaysia. ESL announced that they will be organizing a non-Dota Pro Circuit tournament – ESL One Malaysia 2022.
Via Twitter, ESL shared details of the event, highlighting that it will commence on August 23, a few days after the DPC regular season.
“WE’RE BACK. It’s been 4 long years, but we’re returning to the Arena of Stars at Resorts World Genting with #ESLOne Malaysia 2022!”
Since the 2018 ESL One Genting, there has been no Dota 2 action in Malaysia. All the Majors have been held across Europe and America. However, ESL is looking to change that.
While the remaining regular season Major will be held in Arlington, Genting will host a non-DPC event before The International 2022.
The ESL One Malaysia is scheduled to hold at the Arena of Star in Genting Highlands, As earlier stated, the week-long event will commence on August 23 and will run through to August 28.
12 teams will be competing for the prize fund of $400,000. As of now, no one has an idea of the teams that will be participating.
There is a lot to consider in that regard, as some might decline invites to get enough rest for The International. However, all the major regions – Europe, North America, South America, China, and South-East Asia – will be duly represented in the LAN event.
The remaining seven teams that will be participating will be invited. The representatives from the aforementioned regions will be decided through a qualifier.
ESL has not hosted a non-DPC Major since the ESL One Fall in August 2021. The last time they held this event was in Europe, with a prize pool of $400,000.
In that event, Tundra Esports emerged as the ultimate champions after an eventful eight-day stretch. They had an incredible start, losing only one game in the group stage and finishing second behind Virus.pro, who had a perfect group stage run.
Tundra found their form in the playoffs, sweeping beastcoast and Virtus.pro in the upper bracket semifinals and finals, respectively. They exacted revenge against Virtus, who were responsible for giving them their only loss in the tournament.
The grand final was a more closely contested affair, but Tundra secured a 3-2 victory. For their valiance, they walked away with bragging rights and $175,000 from the prize pool.
DreamLeague Season 18 is currently underway, and teams are fighting for DPC points and a spot in the Arlington Major. The teams that will feature in the ESL One Malaysia will be largely dependent on how things turn out across several regions.
In the coming weeks, more information about the tournament will be revealed.
Regardless, the tournament will follow a round-robin format in the group stage, the same as all ESL Majors. The top two teams in each group of six will advance to the upper bracket of the playoffs, while the third and fourth-placed teams will be seeded in the lower bracket.
The last two in each group will be eliminated from the tournament. While every match will follow a best-0f-3 format, the grand final will be a best-of-5.
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