Riyadh Masters 2023; Top Meta and Team Storylines

The Riyadh Masters 2023 will be the biggest Dota 2 tournament of the year that is not a part of the DPC, meaning fans will want to keep an eye on it. We have already covered some details you need to know, so check our overview to learn why this tournament will be so impressive.

Following the end of The Bali Major 2023, we have learned a lot of important things about the current Dota 2 scene. With that said, Valve’s decision to release a small patch before this event may have a bigger impact than most people anticipate, so let’s learn a few things that we should pay attention to at this event.

Gaimin Gladiators might be able to achieve the impossible

When discussing the most dominat Dota 2 teams, most people think of OG and their impressive two consecutive TI victories. However, it’s safe to say that Gaimin Gladiator are close in that conversation due to winning every big thus far tournament in 2023. Likewise, after winning there Majors and two DreamLeagues, there is no arguing that GG is the big favorite for the upcoming Riyadh Masters 2023.

Although some people think it will be almost impossible for Gaimin Gladiators to win this event, we disagree. This team can bleed because GG lost one match at the Bali Major 2023. However, Quinn “Quinn” Callahan and his crew have no problems against all top-tier squads right now, so there is no arguing that they are the best in the world at the moment.

Medusa may no longer be a Tier 1 pick

If you remember the beginning of 7.33, Medusa was the one-man army in Dota 2. The hero was everywhere and achieved a jaw-dropping 60% win rate in PUBs, something we are yet to see from another hero. Of course, these impressive results also affected the professional Dota 2 meta because the best players in the world decided to use her to their advantage.

The bad news for Medusa players is that the hero received a lot of nerfs in the last couple of weeks. The last one is from a few days ago because the Dota 2 Patch 7.33e changed the following:

• Medusa’s base INT is down to 25 from 27
• Her INT gain is down from 3.7 to 3.4
• Split Shot’s outgoing Damage is now 35/50/65/80% instead of 55/65/75/85%
• Mystic Snake now drains 14/15/16/17% mana instead of 14/16/18/20%

As you can see, the hero received four substantial nerfs yet again, so we think this may be the last nail in the coffin for Medusa’s tier 1 pick state. In fact, we can already see a slight decline in her PUB win rate.

Morphling will also struggle

If we put Medusa aside, a couple of other top-tier Dota 2 heroes are strong in the current meta like Morphling. While he isn’t on the same level as Dusa, this late-game carry has been dominating the PUB and Pro meta for a while now, so most people weren’t surprised he also received nerfs.

In the 7.33e Dota 2 patch, the hero recieved the following nerfs:

• Adaptive Strike’s Agility and STR versions now have 16/14/12/10s cooldown instead of a flat 10s CD.
• Morph’s Aghanim Scepter target stats steal down to 10% instead of 20%
• The hero’s Scepter additional stats stolen from universal heroes is now 5% instead of 20%

Overall, the nerfs are substantial; we can see they already impact the hero’s win rating. That said, many teams always use Morph, so they will try to make him work for the upcoming event.

Quest Esports will have problems

Quest Esports is one of the teams that has shocked people with its most recent results. The latter came out of nowhere and quickly became one of Western Europe’s top-tier teams. The squad achieved good results in the last two big tournaments, including The Bali Major 2023. Even though the team couldn’t win, it finished 4th after losing to Team Liquid.

Considering the last couple of results, it is no surprise that most people assumed Quest Esports will be one of the favorites at the Riyadh Masters 2023. However, this prediction has likely changed because the squad has had to make an unfortunate roster change. Due to contractual issues, Ammar “ATF” Al-Assaf, the team’s signature player and OG’s ex-offlaner, is no longer a part of the team. As a result, Quest Esports have added Abdimalik “Malik” Sailau from Natus Vincere on loan.

While there is no arguing that Malik is an impressive player with the needed experience to fill in the gap from ATF, the latter is one of the most talented players in the world right now, and his absence will definitely affect Quest Esports negatively.

OG may shine

There are a couple of big Dota 2 teams that we haven’t seen on the big stage recently, including OG. After a series of unfortunate results, the young squad couldn’t qualify for the last Major. The team also failed to show what it’s capable of at DL Season 20, so it seems like it will miss out on The International.

However, there is still one big tournament to see: the Riyadh Masters 2023. Considering that OG hasn’t impressed us with its results yet, we think it is high time for the team to shine, and this may be the perfect tournament for them.

In case you have forgotten, in Riyadh Masters 2022, OG achieved impressive results, and the team finished among the top four after falling to PSG.LGD. The latter eventually won the event, so it’s safe to say that OG impressed us with their results.

Of course, the situation now is much different than last year. OG has some new players on its roster, but the team is hungry for success, so we can’t wait to see what will happen.