ESL One Bangkok is finally here, marking the final major Dota 2 event of 2024. The tournament promises an exciting conclusion to the year, featuring a star-studded lineup of powerhouses, household names, dark horses, and underdogs. The best part? There are no clear favorites. This event will be an unpredictable and thrilling competition where any team could take the crown. 

Bo3 reached out to renowned Dota 2 coaches and analysts, Muriëlle "Kips" Huisman and Maurice "KheZu" Gutmann, who gave their thorough input on teams participating in ESL One Bangkok. Explore their thoughts and predictions below!

Kips on Team Spirit: “Their new carry player is barely 17 years old”

One of the most unpredictable teams right now is definitely Team Spirit. The two-time The International champions have an impressive track record, particularly in major events. However, since their temporary roster changes, with key players like Collapse and Yatoro stepping away, the team has been struggling. 

In response to their recent underwhelming results, Kips stated: “Anyone will have "underwhelming results" when compared to "old Team Spirit at a major tournament". Hell, Team Spirit themselves were only about half as good as Team Spirit at a major tournament most of the year.”

Kips pointed out that a major factor behind Spirit’s underperformance is the absence of their renowned coach, Silent, who is currently on a break. This leaves the team with a raw lineup that is still working to find its footing.

“Never mind a line-up where only two out of the old six (Silent is taking a break! this is HUGE) remain. Their new carry player is barely 17 years old."

But one shouldn’t really worry about Team Spirit’s performance. They are known for their long-term approach, showing exceptional patience when it comes to building and developing their team. Kips explained that Team Spirit is likely focused on nurturing their young carry, Satanic, and expects the team to improve significantly over the next year.

“I'm pretty sure that on the inside this team is doing the smart thing, which is keeping their eyes on the long-term goals and shifts (molding Satanic into a player with longevity, bringing back Collapse and/or Silent, etc), and not giving a damn about anyone's opinion on their performance in [ESL One Bangkok]. As far as Spirit is concerned they're going to care about reaching those internal goals, learning as much as they can from Riyadh & TI 2025, and then winning Riyadh 2026.”

Kips on Beastcoast: “Getting bought out should initially be a boost”

Beastcoast’s South American roster has recently been acquired by M80, an emerging esports organization founded in 2022. This marks M80’s debut in Dota 2, and Kips is optimistic that the move will positively impact the team’s performance.

“I think getting bought out should initially be a boost. The shake-up behind the scenes can be limited if they keep on your previous support staff, and the fact that these people valued you enough to buy your org should make you feel good.

And judging from what I know about the esports ecosystem: new orgs are more optimistic and offer better salaries and support. M80 is only a couple of years old. They're still growing and exploring the space on their investors' dime.”

Kips believes that M80’s Dota 2 roster will be highly motivated to justify the investment made in them, boosting their performance during ESL One Bangkok. While the roster remains largely unchanged, they now approach the final tournament of the year with a refreshed and revitalized mentality.

“BC, like any esports org (or hell, like any regular ol' company) that's more than a couple of years old would be trying to get even and/or pay back those investors. You can see how in the latter environment the organization would be much leaner and much more reliant on player results, and why it would feel good to go from an old org to a new one.

Now whether or not it'd stay like that in the long term? I have no idea. Time will tell.”

Khezu on BetBoom Team: “They still need to show me they can beat Falcons in a grand final”

Although BetBoom Team recently won a major tournament, claiming the trophy at BLAST Slam, Khezu remains somewhat unconvinced. He noted that many other teams didn't perform at their best, which may have paved an easier path for BetBoom.

“Betboom finally showed that they can win a LAN, but this also isn't the same team. I think Pure is a very special carry player. Also, the teams at [BLAST Slam] didn't perform incredibly well.

I consider BetBoom to be a consistent top 3 team in upcoming events - with one or two poor performances in the mix. They STILL need to show me that they can beat Falcons in a grand final.”

Khezu on Team Liquid: “I don’t expect [Team Liquid] to win a LAN until early 2025”

Team Liquid is this year’s champion and has been remarkably consistent over the past few years. However, following the departure of 33, who was replaced by SabeRLight-, the team has been struggling to find their rhythm. Despite this, Khezu believes that Team Liquid can achieve better results at ESL One Bangkok, as they’ve had more time to improve their team chemistry.

“[A 5/6th placement] at their last two events isn't great, but, it’s a massive change to take 33 out of any team. He fundamentally changes ANY team he joins. He's an incredibly specific player. I expect Liquid to place top 4, they had more time to accommodate SabeRLight- and more time for him to get confident in the team (it's not easy AT ALL to replace a 2x TI winner in the TI winning team right after they won).

He will do it, good luck to him, but I don't expect [Team Liquid] to win a LAN until early 2025.”

Kips on Gaozu: “Orgs are staying in with players that guarantee eyeballs”

A new all-star Chinese team has been formed, marking Gaozu’s first tournament with legendary players like Ame, Paparazi, and XinQ. This new lineup comes after major disbandments in the region, with well-known teams like LGD Gaming and Invictus Gaming stepping away. Kips explained that the region is facing a decline in investors, and the remaining organizations are focusing on signing big-name players to attract sponsors, reflecting a shift in the once-thriving Chinese scene.

“China seems to be out of easy investor money (as is most of the Dota 2 world that's not South America), and unlike the rest of the planet they're not replacing it with gambling money and the Saudi Cultural Development Fund.

This means that prudent orgs are stepping out and risky orgs are staying in with players that guarantee eyeballs (which is what sponsors want). New talent is going to have to get oldschool: uphill both ways, until you've won enough that you get those views too.”

Kips on Nigma Galaxy: "You can either have Nigma-with-Kuroky or you can have 404-Team-Not-Found"

Nigma Galaxy holds one of the most beloved rosters in Dota 2 history. The team fields Dota 2 legends such as KuroKy, Miracle-, and SumaiL. Despite their decorated history, the roster hasn’t achieved much in the past few years, barely surviving in tournaments. 

This consecutive failure sees backlash towards Nigma Galaxy’s captain, KuroKy, who has been visibly underperforming throughout tournaments. However, Kips is against the sentiment of flatly pointing fingers at KuroKy, emphasizing that he is the backbone and the spirit of the team.

“Anyone who says that "Kuroky is the problem" doesn't fully understand what they're protesting. It's like saying that Puppey is the problem with Secret. It's a non-starter--the teams are vehicles for these players, and they don't exist without them. They have the sway and influence to turn their desire to play (not coach! not manage! not oversee through a pair of binoculars!) into a team. You can either have Nigma-with-Kuroky or you can have 404-Team-Not-Found.

This is an uncomfortable truth because it means that in reality there is a) a team that pays to play or b) one less sponsored team in the already shrinking Dota 2 scene. We want neither, and so we insist that Nigma should be or could be "fixed" when it's doing exactly what it was built to do.”

Khezu on NAVI: “I don’t think they can go further than top 6”

One of the underdogs of ESL One Bangkok is Natus Vincere. The team recently picked up the roster of PuckChamp in an attempt to start fresh. The team has potential but as they will compete among the juggernauts in ESL One Bangkok, it looks like a hard path for NAVI. Khezu echoes the same thoughts, predicting that they won’t go further than the top 6.

“The Navi roster is not bad, I've seen them. But I don't think they can go further thanthe  top 6. They need time, [they have] lots of young players. They rely a lot on specific draft scenarios such as picking x and y hero together so that y hero can't counter their x hero anymore. Sometimes it catches people off-guard.”

Khezu on Falcons: “Falcons will recover”

Last but not least, let's discuss the biggest star of 2024. Team Falcons has consistently dominated tournaments, and although they didn’t win TI, they’ve secured the most victories. 

However, their recent performance at BLAST Slam, where they failed to make the top 4 for the first time, could signal the end of their dominance. Despite this, Khezu remains confident in Falcons. He believes that with practice, the team can secure a top 3 finish at this event.

“Falcons will recover.. they were not in top form at [BLAST Slam]. Their gameplay and drafts were off. Hard to tell if they fully practiced, but if they did they will get top 3 at this event.

They have arguably some of the most gifted Dota players in their team with an incredible mix of veteran, young blood, skill, and knowledge paired with perhaps the best western Dota coach, Aui.”

Overall for Khezu, he predicts that Team Falcons, BetBoom Team, Team Spirit, and Team Liquid will achieve a top 4 placement in ESL One Bangkok. What are YOUR predictions for the event? Comment below!