23Savage at ESL One Malaysia
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Making an incredible comeback from an early setback to the lower bracket in the DreamLeague Season 23: Southeast Asia Closed Qualifier, Aurora triumphed over Talon Esports in the grand final with a clean 3-0 sweep, ensuring their spot in the main event. Despite a hard-fought first game that lasted over half an hour, Talon gradually fell behind, being outmanoeuvred and overpowered.
Nuengnara “23savage” Teeramahanon, Aurora’s star player, made a humorous reference to “no class ) ” in the all-chat as Talon signalled their loss in the third game. However, the situation took an unforeseen turn post-match with Lee “SunBhie” Jeong-jae, Aurora’s coach, and Talon Esports’ Chief Gaming Officer Kim “hooondo” Do-hoon, jabbing at each other indirectly on Twitter.
Indirect jibes between SunBhie and Talon’s CGO following Aurora’s DreamLeague Season 23 qualification
Following Aurora’s 3-0 victory over Talon and the “class” remark by 23savage towards the end of the third game, Sunbhie took a swipe at the Talon institution, indicating a difference of “class” between the teams and the organisation.
Immediately after SunBhie’s tweet and ensuing queries in the comments, hooondo replied indirectly to SunBhie through a separate tweet, simultaneously stating that his comments were not aimed at Aurora’s carry player, 23savage.
Recall that the present Aurora team played under the banner of Talon Esports during the 2022-23 season. After the conclusion of The International 12 and contract expiration, both parties amicably separated and the player group, under coach SunBhie, joined Aurora. Meanwhile, Talon proceeded to sign a new group of players.
In a follow-up to his original tweet, hooondo expressed his opinion and labelled certain individuals within Aurora as “cowards”. He went on to clarify that this was not aimed at the players with whom he had no qualms.
Aurora then criticised Talon’s CEO for retracting a previous tweet. In response, he clarified that his motive for deleting it was to underline a particular message.
The grand finale of the DreamLeague Season 23: Southeast Asia Closed Qualifier had Aurora and Talon Esports competing, with only a single slot in the main event on the line. Both teams, regarded as Southeast Asia’s strongest contenders in recent months, have history, which added to the anticipation of a thrilling clash.
Throughout the day, Aurora performed brilliantly, occasionally seeming a bit awkward or out of place, yet proving to be the most formidable adversary in Southeast Asia when at their best. Talon mounted a strong start but found it more challenging to hold their ground as Aurora stepped up their game and eventually secured a 3-0 victory.