Dota 2
We go over 5 of the most important things we need to remember about The Lima Major 2023.
The Lima Major 2023endedd following the epic Grand Final between Gaimin Gladiators and Team Liquid. The two Western European powerhouses gave the fans an amazing match, but in the end, GG was superior and won the event.
Aside from the final, The Lima Major 2023 allowed us to watch many other high-quality matches and learn a thing or two about the best teams’ current state. With that said, Tour 2 of the 2023 DPC will begin soon, and we expect to see the arrival of the first big update for the year, so make sure to follow BLIX.GG for more info.
Before we focus on the upcoming changes, we’ll take a step back and share several key takeaways from this Major. Let’s dive in!
Team Liquid can bleed
Before the beginning of The Lima Major 2023, people considered Team Liquid the best in the world. Since Nisha joined the team, the WEU squad has been on another level and had little to no problems in Division I. Liquid became one of the first teams in the world to secure its slot for the Major, so it was also the big favourite.
What was even more impressive about Team Liquid was the team’s results in Group B. Nisha and co. were the only team at the Major that didn’t lose a single series. The team’s first loss was in the Upper Bracket Final against Gaimin Gladiators.
Speaking of GG, this was the only team at Lima that defeated Team Liquid twice. In fact, Anton "dyrachyo" Shkredov and the rest proved that Team Liquid could bleed, some people thought the WEU powerhouse was undefeatable.
After winning against them in the UP Final, Gaimin Gladiators also dealt with their opponents in the Grand Final. We expected to see a back-and-forth series, but GG secured three dominant wins and lifted the trophy.
Rubick dominates the current meta
As mentioned earlier, we expect Valve to drop the first big Dota 2 patch in just a few days from now. Many of us expected to see it before The Lima Major 2023, but the company decided to wait until the event ended.
The meta at The Lima Major 2023 favored a couple of heroes, but there’s no arguing that Rubick is in a league of his own. Even though he has around a 44% win rate, he became the most popular pick at The Lima Major with 96 appearances.
Rubick’s prowess in the current patch may surprise some, but those who’ve been following the meta up close probably expected it. He is an amazing laner and has the ability to turn every fight around. Needless to say, Rubick is the reason why we don’t see heroes like Enigma as often as before.
Quinn is one of the best players in the world right now
Some people may be surprised by Gaimin Gladiator’s impressive performance, but the team has been one of the best in the world for several months now. Every player from GG is exceptional, but if we have to point at one that stood out at The Lima Major 2023, we’ll vote for Quinn.
Previously known as CCnC, Quinn "Quinn" Callahan is a 23-year-old US midder who’s been a part of GG for a few months. Dota 2 fans didn’t expect him to have such a positive impact on the team, but his results have been nothing short but impressive.
Quinn is notorious for being extremely aggressive. He is also famous for his “Spirits” because he’s exceptional on heroes like Storm Spirit, Void Spirit and Ember Spirit. However, he’s proven that he is more than capable of playing with what’s needed to win the match. That’s why we saw Quinn on heroes like Pangolier, Leshrac, Queen of Pain, Timbersaw, and more.
The SEA Dota 2 region is not dead
There’s no doubt that Dota 2 is among the most popular games in SEA. This explains why there are tons of new players and teams from the region wanting to prove themselves against the best in the world. However, until now, Mineski is the only SEA team to win a big international tournament.
Even though the SEA squads at The Lima Major 2023 couldn’t win, they’ve definitely proven that the region isn’t dead. Execration and Geek Slate failed to live up to the expectations, but it’s safe to say Talon Esports exceeded them.
Rafli "Mikoto" Rahman and the rest reached the Lower Bracket final, which was really impressive, especially after losing in R1 of the Upper Bracket. Talon secured a to4 finish in Group A but had the bad luck of meeting Team Liquid. Following the loss, the SEA squad had to survive in the Lower Bracket.
Its first challenge was HellRaisers, followed by Team Spirit. After eliminating both EEU squads, Talon also dealt with Entity, as well as Shopify Rebellion. The latter was the only remaining North American team in Lima.
Sadly, Talon wasn’t able to defeat Team Liquid in the Lower Bracket final as the WEU squad defeated the powerful SEA roster for the second time in the Main Event.
The Chinese teams have to step up their game
Aside from Western Europe, China was the only region in Dota 2 that received 4 slots for The Lima Major 2023. Consequently, we got to see PSG.LGD, Knights, Team Aster, and EHOME 4 are the country's best. Sadly, neither of them lived up to the expectations.
Knights and EHOME were the first to exit the tournament after finishing last in Groups A and B, respectively. PSG.LGD also failed because the team was 5th, so it had to play in the Lower Bracket. The only Chinese team that proceeded to the Upper Bracket was Team Aster.
Speaking of the devil, Monet and the rest lost the match against Gaimin Gladiators and had to fight for their survival against Tundra. Even though it dealt with the current TI champions, Aster couldn’t defeat the South American powerhouse Evil Geniuses.
As for LGD, the team lost its first series in the Lower Bracket against Team Spirit.
hese questionable results raise questions about whether China deserves to have 4 Major slots. It will definitely be interesting to see what happens in the region when Tour 2 begins.
