Revered Filipino Organization Blacklist International entered the Dota pro scene with a bang as they have pooled in the best the Philippines has to offer for the first tour of 2023.
Pinnacle gave Blacklist International 4.19 odds to clean up in the Southeast Asian region. The newcomers are just behind BOOM Esports who are priced at 3.65.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: January 2nd, 9:00 P.M. (EST)
Blacklist International’s roster consists of Raven, Karl, Kuku, Tims, and Eyyou. This core, aside from Karl, was one of the most decorated SEA teams back in 2019 before the pandemic started. Everyone sees them as the favorites to win as each of these players are at the top of their respective positions. Kuku will be making way for Eyyou to captain the team as he has expressed difficulties in playing the offlane while calling the shots. Eyyou was also their captain back in 2019. There are high expectations for the All-Filipino roster to achieve immediate success as these players are considered as “stars” of the region.
Despite the hype surrounding the team, BOOM Esports seems to rival the squad with the sheer amount of talent on their roster. Headlined by big names such as Natsumi and Yopaj, the Mushi-coached team, who had a fairly strong showing in 2022, will run it back with a replenished roster after losing some key pieces with the departure of skem, Jackky and Tims who went on to play for inter-region opponents. The team is hyped up with the arrival of veteran X-Nova, who has played most of his career in China playing alongside big names such as Somnus, Ame, Chalice, and fy. He last played for Royal Never Give Up with compatriot Ghost. The last addition is Xepher from the now disbanded T1 roster who will be manning the 4 position.
While the frontrunners are very much intimidating, the region is stacked with strong teams that will heavily contest the top prize. Talon Esports doubled down on their veteran presence with the arrival of JabZ and Invictus Gaming support Oli. Having a strong captain to shot-call is something that the Southeast Asian region has been lacking for a long time. The arrival of both X-Nova and Oli from their respective tier 1 Chinese teams certainly brings experience and levelheadedness to their new squads.
Fnatic will also pack a punch with Kpii coming in to replace Jabz in the offlane role. Meanwhile, the departure of Raven to join Blacklist International is mended by Gabbi’s addition. Gabbi is one of the more consistent carry’s in the entire region. Beyond that, teams like Bleed Esports, Geek Fam, Team SMG, and Execration look competent as well.
With no real bottom feeders out of the eight competing teams, will Blacklist International maintain its composure in the three-week tournament and live up to the hype?
