Heroes Abed and Gabbi return home to SEA at Blacklist Rivalry

Blacklist Rivalry aren’t here to play games: they’re here to win! The premier Filipino esports organization is the first SEA Dota 2 team to officially unveil their all-star Filipino line-up on November 10, ready and raring to go.

Although Blacklist missed their shot at playing at TI12 this year, this gave them plenty of time to think about potential roster adjustments for the upcoming competitive season. On their path to redemption, Blacklist parted ways with their long-serving captain Carlo “Kuku” Palad and the majority of their existing squad.

As of November 10, Blacklist is one of the first tier-one teams to reveal their exciting new player roster, featuring star-studded players like Abed, Gabbi, and Carlo. 

Blacklist Rivalry: Redeem Team 2.0 

Returning home to roost is none other than the pride of PH, the legendary Abed Yusop, known for being one of the best midlaners in the world. 

Since 2019, he’s been playing in the West under the banners of premier NA teams like Evil Geniuses and Shopify Rebellion. The latter unfortunately nose-dived out of The International 2023 in 13th-16th place, with Abed making his exit from the team earlier this week. 

After a long time away, SEA Dota 2 fans will be pleased to see their hero make his grand return to home soil and settle in at Blacklist. 

Alongside Abed, Blacklist has enlisted the help of another legend, Kim “Gabbi” Santos, to bolster their roster. As an offlaner, Gabbi previously played for Entity, representing Western Europe. He managed to secure the team a ticket to TI12. Unfortunately, his efforts weren’t enough. His TI adventure ended when Entity finished 9th-12th place, and he left the team shortly after. 

Abed and Gabbi both have victory on their mind as the trio look to boost Blacklist’s redemption arc and improve upon their individual performances this year. 

Blacklist Rivalry: Dota 2 Roster

Following their disappointing DPC 2023 season, Blacklist Rivalry revamped their roster, branding their new-and-improved squad the “Redeem Team 2.0” following the signings of Gabbi, Abed, and Carlo “Carlo” Manolo, the latter comes on loan from Execration. Rounding out the team are returning Blacklist International players Raven and Tims. 

• Marc Polo Luis “Raven” Fausto
• Abed Azel “Abed” Yusop
• Kim Villafuerte “Gabbi” Santos
• Timothy “TIMS” Randrup 
• Carlo “Carlo” Manolo

Blacklist’s fresh roster will debut later this month at the SEA qualifier for ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023. It’ll be the last major Dota 2 tournament of 2023, boasting a $1 million prize pool. 

With their tagline #BreakTheCode and their new dream Redeem Team 2.0, anything is possible! The additions of legends Abed and Gabbi should shoot Blacklist straight to stardom, hopefully on a path to TI13 in 2024.