Eyyou speaks about Blacklist International's Formation after Winning over Talon Esports
Blacklist International is a professional Dota 2 team made up of recognisable Southeast Asian players. The team has been performing well in the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) SEA 2023 Tour 1: Division I, and is currently sitting at the top of the table after winning three straight series. Position five player Nico “eyyou” Barcelon recently explained that the team came together after a recent victory over Talon Esports, with player Carlo “Kuku” Palad having planned for the team for months, looking for players who were Filipino-born to improve communication within the team.
Eyyou’s Interview
Blacklist defeated Talon 2-1 in a close series. In a post-match interview at Twitch, Captain eyyou was asked how the team came together. The players had worked together in the past but they did not play together in the previous season. In the interview, eyyou stated that many individuals want to build a Filipino team because there hasn’t been one in recent TIs and that speaking the native language is a big factor in this desire. He also mentioned that having a team of familiar players can lead to less toxicity within the team.
Eyyou was asked if he considered staying with Polaris Esports, which had an all-Filipino line-up in the previous season. He explained that after Polaris’ defeat in The International 11’s last-chance qualifier in October, the players split up. After Kuku’s elimination from the qualifier as well, the two decided to collaborate for the DPC 2023 campaign. The decision to form a Filipino team was not planned, it came up after they didn’t qualify for the main TI in the LCQ, and they started to consider forming a team.
Eyyou and Kuku’s performances
Both are professional Dota 2 players who have previously played for the team TNC Predator. Their performance at TI6 is particularly noteworthy because they eliminated tournament favourites OG with a 2-0 victory over them. The second game’s Huskar gameplay by Kuku has been praised as a career-high.
Blacklist, with the support of some of the top and seasoned players in the region, aims to have a successful season and meet the high expectations set for them. They will play their next series in the DPC 2023 against Execration on January 20th, a team that has surprised many by winning three series in a row by 2-0 scores.
As Blacklist International continues to compete in the DPC 2023, fans can expect to see the team’s star-studded line-up perform at its best and strive to meet the high expectations set for them.
