Dota is undoubtedly the biggest esports title in Malaysia, with huge fans and amazing talents that reached international levels, literally. Fnatic reached 4th at last year’s The International and ahfu of LGD Gaming Forever Young (LFY) was the best placing Malaysian at this year’s International after finishing third. It makes sense that there would be bigger tournaments to support the Dota scene.
And that’s exactly the Malaysian Esports League (MESL) is aiming for this year. Despite the general all-encompassing name, they are focusing on only Dota 2 this year. Organised by Mineski Events Team with sponsors U Mobile, Logitech, eGG Network and Twitch, it is set to be the biggest Dota 2 tournament in Malaysia yet, with RM500,000 up for grabs.
This will be a league, but to reach the coveted 16 spots offered (these teams will get a share of the RM500,000 prize pool), each team will have to go through qualifiers beginning September 2. Once all the teams from the qualifiers- which will happen all over Malaysia- has been whittled down to 16, the group stages will commence over a period of three months. After that, the list narrows down to only 8 where teams will play in the playoffs. All games from t
he forup stages will be aired on eGG Network as well streamed on Twitch, with those on U Mobile can stream the matches for free via Astro GO.
“We have been seeing phenomenal growth in esports not just globally but also in Malaysia during the recent years, and the launch of MESL is naturally the next step in our continued commitment towards the Malaysian esports community,” said Kenchi Yap, Managing Director of Mineski Events Team. “Through our efforts with MESL, we hope to develop more young talents and icons like Mushi, Ohaiyo and Midone, who will be eager to grow their gaming careers professionally.”
Mushi, Ohaiyo and Midone were part of the Fnatic last year. The latter two managed to reach The International this year with their respective teams.
It’s always good to see esports growing to support its players in the long run. Having many tournaments is fine, but to ensure these players stick around longer we need a more stable platform, and what better way to do so than a league system. The biggest esports like League Of Legends have a stable league system that let players have a stable income and work schedule and games like Overwatch are investing in franchised leagues. Even Dota will see a new structure, with Majors and Minors tournament to supplement the season. Otherwise there isn’t that much money going around the scene outside The International’s gang-buster prize pool each year.
Those interested in participating in the MESL can register for the qualifiers at this website here.