After one month of epic battles, Tour 1 Division I of the 2023 DPC is finally over. We had the chance to watch numerous series in each of the six regions because the best teams had to determine which of them would secure a slot for the Major. It wasn’t easy, but more than four weeks later, we already knew the names of all participants.
Interestingly, the regions had different slots for the Major, depending on their most recent performance. For example, Western Europe and China have four slots, whereas South America and North America only have 2. On the other hand, Eastern Europe and SEA have three slots each.
Speaking of the first Major, The Lima Major 2023 will take place on February 22 in Lima, Peru. We won’t go into detail about it because we’ll share a complete overview of the tournament in the upcoming weeks. With that said, let’s learn more about the teams participating in the competition.
Western Europe
Starting with the elephant in the room, the teams from Western Europe and undeniably the big favorites to win this Major. They’ve been on another level in the last couple of years, so we can’t wait to see them in action.
After the gruesome Division I in the WEU 2023 DPC, the four teams that qualified are the following:
- Team Liquid
- Gaimin Gladiators
- Tundra Esports
- Entity
Each has what it takes to win the event, but Team Liquid and Tundra are the two big favorites. The first squad finished without losing a single series, whereas the second is the current TI champion. Even though they’ve lost a few games, Nine and the rest are definitely one of the big favorites.
Eastern Europe
After addressing some potential favorites, the second region we have to look at is Eastern Europe. As mentioned, Division I of the EEU DPC only gave this region three slots, which meant fierce competition. Most of us expected Na’VI and VP to be here, but in the end, these are the three squads that survived:
- BetBoom Team
- Team Spirit
- HellRaisers
We weren’t surprised by Team Spirit because Yatoro and the rest are on another level. However, BetBoom and HR impressed us with their results. Both teams won many important matches, so they deserved their spots among the best.
SEA
Southeast Asia is the next region we’d like to include on the list. We’ve seen several surprises in Tour 1 of the 2023 DPC, but when it comes down to the squads that qualified for The Lima Major 2023, the results shocked all of us.
Although we expected Fnatic and BOOM to be here, neither succeeded. Even more interesting is that both teams will head to Division II after finishing at the bottom of the group. Instead of these two powerhouses, we will have the chance to watch the following:
- Talon Esports
- Geel Skate
- Execration
Execration’s impressive run shocked everyone and reminded us of the team’s performance from several years ago. It will be intriguing to see if Palos and the rest have what it takes to play against the best from other regions.
China
Besides Western Europe, China is the Dota 2 region with four slots for The Lima Major 2023. This may not come as a surprise because of the likes of PSG.LGD and Aster have been among the best in 2022.
Speaking of the best, the ‘usual suspects’ had no problems and qualified for the first Major of the 2023 DPC. These are the squads from China we will have the chance to see:
- Knights
- PSG.LGD
- Team Aster
- EHOME
No one doubted LGD and Aster, but Knights are the biggest surprise in China. Despite being a newcomer in the 2023 Chinese DPC, eGo and the rest had little to no problems against the best in the region. The team defeated most of its opponents and deserved one of the Major slots.
North America
Even though NA only has two slots for The Lima Major 2023, we will have the chance to watch the best teams in the region. EG’s decision to leave North America was devastating for its popularity, but RTZ and the rest decided to stay. Unsurprisingly, they had no problems and qualified for the event.
Speaking of qualifications, here are the squads that have made it:
- TSM
- Shopify Rebellion (EG’s ex-squad)
Nouns were the only North American team that challenged these two powerhouses, but they had no problems against them. SR lost only one match vs. TSM, whereas the latter finished undefeated.
South America
The last region is the most interesting because The Lima Major will take place in South America. The fact that some of the best Dota 2 players are from Peru also matters because they will feel at home in Lima.
Speaking of South America and Dota 2, EG’s arrival in the professional scene had a massive effect on the region. Usually, BC and Thunder Awaken had no difficulties at all, but now, the situation was slightly different. Each of the three teams wanted to qualify for the first big Dota 2 event of 2023, but in the end, this honor went to the following names:
- Beastcoat
- Evil Geniuses
Interestingly, Thunder Awaken lost a total of 4 series, which means it was the first time the team finished a Tour in the DPC with more losses for the battle between beastcoast and EG, K1, and the rest won the match. This allowed them to finish first without losing a single series.
We have around one week until the beginning of The Lima Major, so make sure to BLIX.GG for more information. The Major will be very interesting because a couple of big teams have what it takes to win. We’ll try to provide you with timely updates.
Feature Image: Valve
