Former Talon Esports players who carried the SEA region for the entirety of 2023 will now play under a new banner known as Aurora Gaming.

On November 6, Talon Esports officially released its roster that had carried the Southeast Asian (SEA) region for the year. Despite being the strongest SEA team of 2023, the organization and its players have mutually decided to part ways. Now, a Serbian-based team known as Aurora Gaming has picked up the ex-Talon squadron except for Rafli "Mikoto" Fathur Rahman.

Aurora Gaming will feature the following players:

  • Nuengnara "23savage" Teeramahanon
  • Armel "Armel" Tabios
  • Anucha "Jabz" Jirawong
  • Worawit "Q" Mekchai
  • Chan "Oli" Chon Kien

Talon starts anew once again

Talon's farewell to its roster before their move to Aurora Gaming (Via Talon Esports <a href="https://x.com/TALON_ESPORTS/status/1721467531310096817?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">tweet</a>)
Talon's farewell to its roster before their move to Aurora Gaming (Via Talon Esports tweet)

It could be argued that Talon Esports single-handedly carried the Southeast Asian (SEA) region in 2023. In one of the toughest years for SEA Dota, Talon were the team that made huge strides in competition. They placed first in two SEA Dota Pro Circuit seasons and placed third in the second largest tournament of the year, Riyadh Masters 2023. Unfortunately, the team and players have mutually decided to part ways.

However, it did not take long for Talon to assemble a new squad. This new roster consists of staple names from the SEA region. That said, they certainly have some mighty big shoes to fill. The new Talon Dota 2 roster is as follows:

  • Eljohn "Akashi" Andales
  • Yuri "Yowe" Pacaña (Stand-in for ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023)
  • Chung "Ws" Wei Shen
  • Tri "Jhocam" Kuncoro
  • Pang "ponyo" Sze Xuan

Will Aurora Gaming join ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023?

Aurora Gaming is a Serbian-based esports team that is completely new to Dota. Outside of Dota, the organization has a proven track record in Counter-Strike and Apex Legends, having entered the scene in 2022 Q3 and Q4 respectively.

It is unclear whether Aurora Gaming will join ESL One Kuala Lumpur. As of now, three teams from the SEA Open Qualifier #1, Execration, Geek Fam and IHC Esports, have made it to the Closed Qualifier round which will commence on November 16. Meanwhile, there are still three direct placements left for the SEA Closed Qualifier. If Aurora Gaming does not receive an invite, the team will have to compete through Open Qualifier #2 on November 14. This goes the same for Talon Esports as well.

ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023 SEA Closed Qualifier (Image via <a href="https://liquipedia.net/dota2/ESL_One/Kuala_Lumpur/2023/Southeast_Asia/Closed_Qualifier" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Liquipedia</a>)
ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023 SEA Closed Qualifier (Image via Liquipedia)

Keep track with more post-TI12 roster shuffle and general Dota 2 news on esports.gg!