Dota 2 ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023: Gaimin Gladiators, G2.iG, Secret bounce back in day two of action-packed Group Stage

The Dota 2 action in ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023 is ramping up in the second day of the Group Stage on Tuesday (12 December).

The International (TI) 2023 runners-up Gaimin Gladiators and Chinese superteam G2.iG both had perfect 4-0 runs to top their respective groups while Western Europe's Team Secret also bounced back to get in the running for the Playoffs.

Meanwhile, South America's Wawitas Sagazes and Eastern Europe's 9Pandas were the first teams to get eliminated.

Here's how all the action in day two of the ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023 Group Stage went down:

Gaimin Gladiators, Secret bounce back in Group A as Blacklist go winless

Western European teams had a field day in Group A, with Gaimin Gladiators winning all their games to get in position for an upper bracket spot while Team Secret bounced back from a 1-3 start in day one to remain in contention for the Playoffs.

Gaimin Gladiators kicked off the action in Group A with a 2-0 victory over Filipino team Blacklist International before scoring another 2-0 sweep over South America's Wawitas Sagazes. They now have a 6-2 record and are tied for the top spot in Group A with China's Azure Ray, who had a 3-1 outing in day two.

On the other hand, Secret managed a 1-1 draw with Eastern Europe's BetBoom Team before getting their own 2-0 sweep over Blacklist. Secret are now tied with BetBoom for third place in the group with 4-4 records apiece, good enough to get them to the lower bracket of the Playoffs should the standings hold.

Meanwhile, both Blacklist and Wawitas Sagazes went winless in day two. Blacklist crumbled after their strong 3-1 start in day one and are now in real danger of elimination with a 3-5 standing. Wawitas Sagazes have unfortunately been mathematically eliminated already with a 1-7 record.

Blacklist still have a chance to sneak into the Playoffs if they manage to score a 2-0 sweep over BetBoom in day three, but anything less will mean the end of their run in Kuala Lumpur. Secret can secure their Playoff spot in what should be a winnable match against Wawitas Sagazes.

Finally, Gaimin Gladiators and Azure Ray will face off to decide the top seed of Group A.

G2.iG zoom to top of the standings after perfect 4-0 outing

G2.iG bounced back from their mixed 2-2 start in day one with a perfect 4-0 run in day two to claim the top spot in Group B.

The Chinese superteam kicked off the action in Group B by sweeping Western European powerhouse Team Liquid and another star-studded squad in Team Falcons. G2.iG are in sole possession of the top spot in Group B with a 6-2 record and are all but guaranteed an upper bracket in the Playoffs.

Falcons and Tundra Esports stumbled after their perfect starts in day one and are now tied for second place with 5-3 records apiece.

Falcons were forced to a surprising 1-1 draw by 9Pandas before getting swept by G2.iG. In the same vein, Tundra ended up with a 1-1 tie with struggling Chinese squad LGD Gaming before getting swept by Liquid.

Finally, LGD scored an important 2-0 sweep over 9Pandas to stave elimination for themselves and knock their Eastern European opponents out of the tournament.

LGD and Liquid will have a win-or-go home match in day three. Liquid needs to win at least one game to guarantee a spot in the Playoffs while LGD need to sweep the match in order to sneak through.

G2.iG will also have the chance to pad their stats against 9Pandas while Falcons and Tundra will face off for a spot in the upper bracket.

Here are the results for all the matches in day two of the Group Stage:

Group A

• Gaimin Gladiators 2-0 Blacklist International

• Azure Ray 2-0 Wawitas Sagazes

• BetBoom Team 1-1 Team Secret

• Blacklist International 0-2 Team Secret

• Azure Ray 1-1 BetBoom Team

• Gaimin Gladiators 2-0 Wawitas Sagazes

Group B

• Team Liquid 0-2 G2.iG

• Tundra Esports 1-1 LGD Gaming

• Team Falcons 1-1 9Pandas

• Team Falcons 0-2 G2.iG

• LGD Gaming 2-0 9Pandas

• Tundra Esports 0-2 Team Liquid

Here are the standings after day two of the Group Stage:

Group A

1. Azure Ray: 6-2

2. Gaimin Gladiators: 6-2

3. BetBoom Team: 4-4

4. Team Secret: 4-4

5. Blacklist International: 3-5

6. Wawitas Sagazes: 1-7 (eliminated)

Group B

1. G2.iG: 6-2

2. Team Falcons: 5-3

3. Tundra Esports: 5-3

4. Team Liquid: 4-4

5. LGD Gaming: 3-5

6. 9Pandas: 1-7 (eliminated)

With the day's results, Wawitas Sagazes and 9Pandas have been eliminated in 11th-12th place and will take home US$25,000 in consolation.

ESL One Kuala Lumpur will begin with a three-day Group Stage, taking place from 11 to 13 December, and will split the 12 participating teams into two groups of six teams each to compete in a single round-robin format.

The top six teams from the Group Stage will then proceed to the Playoffs, which will be hosted in the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre from 15 to 17 December. The Playoffs will follow a double-elimination format.

For everything you need to know about ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023, check here.

For more esports news updates, visit https://yhoo.it/YahooEsportsSEA and check out Yahoo Esports Southeast Asia’s Facebook page and Twitter, as well as our Gaming channel on YouTube.