It’s official! Aurora just won and bagged the ticket to represent Southeast Asia in ESL Dota 2 DreamLeague Season 22 following a crazy showdown against Team Darleng in the DreamLeague Closed Qualifier SEA grand finals last night.
It was a nail-biting match, totally living up to the hype created by both teams. In case you missed it, Aurora is basically the gang from Talon Esports last season, minus Rafli “Mikoto” Rahman. On the flip side, Darleng is this cool mix of famous Dota 2 streamer/pro players from the Philippines like Carlo “Kuku” Palad and Yuri “Yowe” Pacana.
Even with a new mid laner, the ex-Talon Esports crew showed they’re still the kings of the court. They faced some tough resistance from Darleng, but they pulled through and proved they’re the champs of SEA.
The first three games were a rollercoaster. Darleng owned the first one, thanks to Yowe’s slick moves, with a final score of 28-20. Aurora fired back in the second game, courtesy of Anucha “Jabz” Jirawong and Nuengara “23savage” Teeramahanon, leveling the score at 37-18.
Game three was almost Aurora’s, but Darleng flipped the script around the 38th minute, and Kuku pulled off some game-changing moves. Darleng forced Aurora to surrender with a score of 27-29 in the 40th minute. Aurora rallied in the fourth game, sealing the deal with a solid victory at 42-10.
In the final game, Aurora kept the momentum going, taking down Darleng’s Luna and Broodmother with ease. After 30 intense minutes, Darleng couldn’t handle the pressure and crowd control from Aurora, leading to their defeat.
This win keeps 23savage and the crew riding high as consistent representatives of Southeast Asia in Dota 2 competitions on the global stage. And hey, props to Darleng for showing they’ve got the potential to be the next big thing in SEA, even as a “collective streamer” team.
