Dota 2
DreamLeague Season 20 was a great tournament, allowing us to watch many of the world’s top Dota 2 teams in action before the next big DPC event. Although not all of them will attend the Bali Major 2023, it gave teams a great chance to practice before Bali.
It’s safe to say that some of the results shocked us, but in the end, Gaimin Gladiators claimed the trophy. The team proved they’re among the best in the world, and we can’t wait to see what will happen in Bali just a few days from now.
Before diving in to the Major in the upcoming days, it’s time to take a step back and reflect on what happened at DreamLeague Season 20. We’ll review some surprising results, the meta, and more.
Gaimin Gladiators are unstoppable
Just when we thought the top-tier WEU squad wouldn’t be able to win the event, Gaimin Gladiators rose from the ashes. While the team didn’t have many problems in the group stages, they didn't impress with their performances. However, things changed when they made it to the Playoffs.
First, Anton "dyrachyo" Shkredov took down Talon Esports in an epic three-game battle. Once that series was over, GG faced down PSG.LGD in the LB final, another three-game thriller, with their victory made even sweeter because the Chinese team defeated GG earlier in the tournament.
After eliminating PSG.LGD, Gaimin Gladiators took part in an nail-biting five-game grand final series against none other than BetBoom Team. The Russian squad has been one of the most dominant teams in EEU, but in the end, they weren't able to bring down the mighty WEU team. Gaimin Gladiators outplayed their opponents in the last game of the series, winning DreamLeague Season 20. This makes GG back-to-back champions, with the squad also winning DreamLeague Season 19.
Team Spirit and Team Aster failed to impress
Even though there were many top-tier Dota 2 teams at DLS20, most fans were interested in Team Aster and Team Spirit. These two are among the best teams in China and Eastern Europe, so fans expected them to perform exceptionally well. However, despite surviving the Group Stage 1, neither of these powerhouses advanced to the playoffs.
Although Team Spirit got close, securing three victories and four losses, the same can’t be said about Aster. One of China’s best Dota 2 teams over the last couple of years crumbled at DreamLeague Season 20, finishing last in their group. Aster wasn’t able to defeat anyone, so it will be interesting to see if the team can make the necessary changes to perform better at the Bali Major.
As for the other Chinese powerhouse (PSG.LGD), the team performed really well in the first two group stages. Despite being the big favorite and the fact that it qualified for the Upper Bracket Final, LGD lost to BetBoom and Gamin Gladiators. Consequently, the team finished the event in third place.
Talon Esports proved they’re among the best in SEA
Southeast Asia has always been one of the regions where everything is possible, and we’ve seen it again following Tour 3 Division I. Although Talon Esports was one of the best in the world, the team couldn’t find a slot for the last Major. They lost several games they should have won, which means they failed to finish among the top three.
Despite the disappointing results previously, Talon Esports actually surprised their fans at DreamLeague Season 20, performing much better than expected. These results have proven the team is among the best in SEA and will certainly be one of the challengers for The International if they qualify for the tournament.
Sadly, the squad failed to lift the trophy this time, after losing to Gamin Gladiators in the round one of the Lower Bracket.
Techies was the most popular hero
If someone tuned into DreamLeague Season 20 after a hiatus from the game, they'd be surprised to see Techies picked as frequently as he was at the event. Nevertheless, this hero has established itself in the meta and is the go-to option for every top Dota 2 team. While it’s true he’s not as big in PUBs, the hero is present in every region and DreamLeague Season 20 proved it.
By the end of the tournament, Techies appeared more than 80 times, which is really impressive. Out of all those games, his win rate is positive, which is another surprise.
Techies has the ability to do a lot of damage, provide vision, and help all of his teammates. Sure, he’s not that easy to play and won’t work in every situation, but he’s definitely among the best supports in the meta right now.
Aside from Techies, Rubick and Morphling also got more attention than the rest. Morphling is a pretty interesting pick because he can work in many situations and multiple-item builds. Needless to say, we will be seeing a lot more from Techies in Bali just a couple of days from now.
Windranger struggled in pro play
If we take a look at some of the most successful Dota 2 heroes in the current patch, we can see Windranger is on the list. This is one of the cores/supports who can work in several situations and adapt to the meta. Unsurprisingly, a lot of people take advantage of her while playing PUBs.
Even though the hero has close to a 54% win rate in PUBs, Windranger's success rate at DreamLeague Season 20 was around 40%. These stats mean she’s one of the least-successful popular picks, with Windranger appearing in more than 50 games.
We’re not expecting to see any big changes in the meta prior to The Bali Major 2023. Consequently, WR will continue to be a popular pick for some of the best teams in the world. It’ll be interesting to see if the hero will have better stats than those at DLS20.
If you want to read more about the current meta ahead of the Bali Major, be sure to check out BLIX's article on Patch 7.33d.
