The European Dota 2 region dominated 2023, but all hope wasn’t lost as SEA representatives like Talon Esports still found ways to challenge top spots in major events. Despite a relatively successful year, Talon and its Dota 2 roster decided to mutually part ways, with the future looking uncertain for both of them.
Assuring the fans that this would be the start of a ‘new era,’ Talon aims to stay in the Dota 2 scene where multiple organizations like, Beastcoast, decided to take a step back to observe how the competition would proceed after the Dota Pro Circuit.
Amidst this development, players Nuengnara “23savage” Teeramahanon, Rafli “Mikoto” Fathur Rahman, Anucha “Jabz” Jirawong, Worawit “Q” Mekchai, and Chan “Oli” Chon Kien are now in free agency, but it remains unclear whether these five players have plans to stick together as a team.
The team’s star player, 23savage, also heartfelt farewell message on his personal Twitter account, reflecting on the team’s journey and expressing gratitude to the Talon organization.
Though Talon didn’t lift any trophies in 2023, the team ranked fourth in the leaderboard of top-earning Dota 2 teams this year, earning over $2 million in prize money. Considering the next major Dota 2 event will also be held in the SEA region, Kuala Lumpur, the post-TI 2023 roster shuffle season is likely to heat up in the coming days.
ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023 is set to feature a $1 million prize pool as opposed to the $200,000 prize pool DPC leagues that would kick off the competitive season after TI.
Compared to previous years, teams have less time to complete their rosters, but with Valve taking a step back, we might see a more prolonged shuffle period, meaning the teams can continue to switch players even after the first couple of major events of the 2024 season.
