Dota 2 ESL One Bangkok 2024: The 5 teams you should look out for

Images: ESL, Entity, Xtreme Gaming, Nigma Galaxy

From veterans looking to stay relevant to rising stars out to prove themselves, here are five teams you should look out for in ESL One Bangkok 2024.

ESL One Bangkok 2024 is set to be the final top-tier Dota 2 tournament of the year, featuring 12 of the best teams from all across the world battling it out from December 9 to 15 in Thailand. A prize pool of $1 million will be up for grabs alongside a haul of 20,940 ESL Pro Tour points, which will guarantee invites to top-ranked teams in future ESL events.

There will surely be plenty of storylines and powerhouse teams that will be taking up the spotlight in Thailand to close out 2024 for Dota 2, but here are the five most interesting teams we think you should look out for in ESL One Bangkok 2024:

Gaozu

It's no secret that the once-mighty Chinese Dota 2 scene has been stagnating for years now, even more so following the conclusion of this year's The International (TI). Of the major Chinese organisations, only Xtreme Gaming ended up competing in the ESL One Bangkok qualifiers. But fret not, Chinese Dota 2 fans, as many of your favourite veterans are still competing in a handful of informal stacks.

Foremost among them are Gaozu, a team that includes the likes of Ame, Paparazi, and XinQ. After qualifying for ESL One Bangkok through the Chinese regional qualifier, they will be looking to prove that they still have what it takes to go against the heavyweights of Western and Eastern Europe. Who knows, perhaps Gaozu claiming victory in Bangkok will be enough to spark Chinese organisations to renew their investments in Dota 2 and bring the region that reigned over the scene for years back into relevance.

Roster:

AVULUS

As the undisputed top region in Dota 2 for the past few years, Western Europe has been a constant battleground for major organisations, where lesser teams have otherwise been struggling to break through. AVULUS seems to have been bucking that trend, as they qualified for ESL One Bangkok over the likes of Gaimin Gladiators, Tundra Esports, and OG – even defeating the latter to punch their tickets to Thailand.

With a roster of players eager to prove themselves worthy of being considered among the top teams in the scene, AVULUS will be one opponent the other teams in Bangkok would do well to be wary of. We're especially looking forward to AVULUS taking on Team Falcons just to see if SoNNeikO and Ammar “ATF” Al-Assaf will be getting into more ‘fun’ interactions both inside and outside the game.

Roster:

BOOM Esports

After spending parts of 2023 and 2024 competing in South America, BOOM Esports returned to its home turf in Southeast Asia in September and brought back former players JaCkky, Fbz, and TIMS alongside newcomers Mac and Jaunuel. ESL One Bangkok will be the first LAN tournament for this revamped BOOM squad, and they will be looking to protect home ground against formidable opponents from other regions.

The BOOM roster from 2022 that featured JaCkky, Fbz, and TIMS was once the best team in Southeast Asia and could even go toe-to-toe with the juggernauts of the scene – notably knocking out Team Spirit in TI 2022. Only time will tell if BOOM can reach those heights once again, but ESL One Bangkok will be as good a place as any for them to showcase their potential.

Roster:

PuckChamp

The PuckChamp name has been around for four years now, grinding through the lower division of the Eastern and Western European regional leagues during the days of the Dota Pro Circuit. The team was reformed earlier this month in the hopes of qualifying for ESL One Bangkok. And they did just that, cruising through the Open Qualifiers and beating out more established teams like 1win and Virtus.pro to take the Eastern European regional qualifier spot.

The current PuckChamp squad features recognizable names like Shad, BOOM, and kaori as well as rising players like Sanctity and QBFY. Sanctity, who previously competed in Southeast Asia from 2021 to 2024, also moved to Eastern Europe this year and will now be attending the biggest LAN tournament this year. PuckChamp will surely be hungry to prove themselves against the household names that will be opposing them in Thailand.

Roster:

Nigma Galaxy

Love them or hate them, Nigma Galaxy are always a delight to watch. Their dedicated fans are always eager to see yesterday's stars like Miracle, SumaiL, and GH show they still have what it takes to compete with their younger counterparts. Meanwhile, their haters are always happy to see a team with such big names crash and burn. Whichever side you're on, Nigma Galaxy is bound to catch your attention.

Even after Kuro “Kuroky” Takhasomi stepped down from the active roster to make way for No!ob and OmaR to join, Nigma Galaxy's results haven't been promising. But people always say Nigma Galaxy in a LAN tournament is a different beast, so maybe ESL One Bangkok will be where the team finally shows what they're truly made of. Whatever happens, we're sure Nigma Galaxy will be putting on a good show for fans and haters alike – you wouldn't want to miss it.

Roster:

ESL One Bangkok 2024 will be hosted from December 9 to 15 and is split into two distinct stages: the Group Stage, running from December 9 to 11, and the Playoffs, running from December 13 to 15. The Group Stage will only be broadcasted online, but the Playoffs will be hosted in front of a live audience in Bangkok's Royal Paragon Hall.

For everything you need to know about ESL One Bangkok 2024, check here.