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The second day of Dota 2 ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023 ended with surprising results. Azure Ray and Gaimin Gladiators are the leaders of Group A, while G2.iG and Team Falcons topped Group B. That said, Wawitas Sagazes and 9Pandas currently sit bottom of Groups A and B.
Similar to the first day's group stage matches, the second day also featured memorable matchups and individual moments. We've shortlisted the best highlights from the second-day group stage matches of Dota 2 ESL One KL 2023. Scroll ahead to read them.
Dota 2 ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023 Day 2 highlights
1) JT's Magnus
G2.iG locked horns with Team Liquid in their third Bo2 group-stage matchup. Much to everyone's surprise, the Chinese team clean-swept the European powerhouse. JT, the offlaner of G2.iG, put on a show with Magnus, which helped his team defeat Team Liquid in the final game.
Liquid and iG had fighting-based disabler heroes and were constantly fighting from the laning stage. The latter secured an early gold lead and were playing safe. Monet's Chaos Knight outfarmed Micke's Spectre, acquired Aegis, and began pushing Dire's top racks.
A teamfight, spearheaded by JT, erupted after he caught Dawnbreaker, Invoker, and Spectre near the tier 4 towers with RP and skewered them back into his team. The Chinese team slaughtered Liquid's heroes, who in turn instantly bought back to defend their base and killed iG's supports.
The second teamfight took place after a few minutes near the Radiant's Roshan Pit. A perfectly timed RP stunned the BKB-popped Spectre, and Dawnbreaker changed the fight in iG's favor. Liquid lost the battle and tapped GG after three minutes.
2) Undefeated Gaimin Gladiators
Dota 2 TI12 finalists and Major winners, Gaimin Gladiators went undefeated on the second day after a rough start to their ESL One campaign. The European team had their fortunes turned as they won all their group-stage matches and topped their group.
In the first series, GG clashed with Blacklist International, a newly formed SEA team. Luna, played by Dyrachyo, staged a comeback with Satanic, BKB, and Manta Style, securing a triple kill before pushing and ending the game. Before this, GG lost a couple of fights and failed to establish a gold lead.
The second game against Blacklist was a different story as GG started dominating the game right from the beginning and secured a quick victory. Quinn's Pangolier, Dyrachyo's Alchemist, and Ace's Lycan overwhelmed Blacklist's heroes in every fight.
GG faced Wawitas Sagazes in the second series and dismantled the SA team by ending the first game within just 18 minutes. The second game followed a similar scenario but dragged on for 10 more minutes. GG's team cohesion, fused with a meta-drafting style, was showcased in this stomp.
3) Shiro's double Rapier purchase
Tundra's first Bo2 Dota 2 match against LGD Gaming stretched for an hour. Victory seemed inevitable as the latter managed to destroy all the Dire buildings and secure Mega Creeps. However, Tundra's gameplan differed, as they established a strong defensive formation and resisted Mega Creeps for an extended period.
LGD Gaming couldn't withstand the physical damage from Timado's Luna, who had become quite formidable with items like Linken's Sphere, Swift Blink, Refresher Orb, Silver Edge, and BKB. Consequently, Shiro's Weaver decided to purchase a Divine Rapier to push aggressively and end the game by destroying Dire's Ancient.
This strategy backfired, as he was controlled by Tundra's heroes, got eliminated, and dropped the Divine Rapier in the process. Timado seized the Rapier and efficiently defended his base.
Faced with no other option, Shiro purchased another Rapier, led his team down the middle lane, and successfully destroyed Dire's Ancient soon after. It's a rare sight to see a double Rapier purchase in competitive Dota 2 games. Hence, Shiro becomes the first pro to do this in Dota 2 ESL One KL 2023.
4) Cr1t's Hoof Stomp
Team Falcons squared off against 9Pandas in their Dota 2 ESL One KL group-stage matchup. The first game in this Bo2 series lasted an hour and saw the latter take the victory.
The second game had a shocking result as Falcons ended the game within just 28 minutes. All thanks to Cr1t's timely Hoof Stomp stun with his Centaur Warrunner.
This unusual pick wasn't so outrageous, as Falcons had a whopping 10k gold lead over the CIS team. 9Pandas, after losing important fights, went straight to Roshan's Pit to get Aegis on their carry.
Falcons' heroes under SOD and with Centaur's Stampede buff quickly reached the pit. Meanwhile, V-Tune's Templar Assassin got the Aegis and was instantly stunned by Mar1ne's Dragon Knight.
Cr1t's Centaur blinked into the pit and stunned three heroes with his Hoof Stomp. Zeus, TA, and Treant Protector were the victims of this assault and quickly lost their lives. After eight minutes, Falcons sieged Dire's high ground and ended the series with a draw.
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