Dota 2
It's been a little less than a week since the start of the Bali Major 2023. In our Preview, BLIX highlighted a number of teams to keep an eye on in the group stage. With groups wrapping up and playoffs just getting started, let's take a look back at the proceedings thus far.
From the onset, it is safe to say that many of the results have surprised us, and some of the teams we expected to see could not advance to the tournament's next stage. With that out, here is all of the important information you need to know.
Group A
The action in Group A allowed us to watch plenty of Dota 2 matches that were worth the late nights and early mornings. This was the group where almost all teams had equal chances of advancing to the event's next stage. However, in the end, Blacklist International, Execration and Invictus Gaming ultimately fell short and were eliminated
The final standings for Group A were as follows:
- Team Liquid (4-4-0)
- beastcoast (2-6-0)
- Tundra Esports (2-6-0)
- Team Aster (4-2-2)
- Team Spirit (2-5-1)
- Shopify Rebellion (1-4-3)
- Blacklist International (1-4-3)
- Execration (0-5-3)
- Invictus Gaming (1-2-5)
Team Liquid had no problems
Although the squad's somewhat disappointed at DreamLeague Season 20, Team Liquid proved to their fans and haters that the team is not "washed up." On the contrary, we can safely say that Michał "Nisha" Jankowski and the rest have learned the meta and how everything works, so it will be exciting to see if the team can continue its impressive results.
Speaking of the WEU squda, Team Liquid achieved many impressive victories, including against the likes of Team Aster and Team Spirit. The squad can work well under pressure, so we just have to wait and see if it can keep up the tempo.
beastcoast also performed better than expected
The second team that surprised us with its results in Group A of the Bali Major 2023 was none other than beastcoast. The South American powerhouse proved to the world yet again it deserves to be among the best Dota 2 teams. Following the first four days of the Group Stage, the team didn't lose a single series, which was very impressive.
Perhaps the best victory for BC was against Aster on July 1. Although the team was the underdog in this series, they stepped up their game and outplayed the more-experienced opponent. Consequently, this allowed beastcoast to secure its place among the best teams in Group A.
Invictus Gaming and Execration need to make changes
Although some of the teams in Group A impressed us with their results, others failed to do so. Invictus Gaming and Execration are among these teams as these powerhouses were eliminated with fairly poor records.
We expected more from Invictus Gaming because the Chinese squad has a solid roster. However, it seems like their handling of this meta is lacking, as they went 1-2-5.
As for Execration, most people are probably unsurprised because the team's most recent results haven't been that good. After failing to win any series, the team was eliminated from the third Major of the 2023 DPC.
Group B
As expected, some of the favorites performed very well and had little to no difficulty advancing to the next stage of The Bali Major 2023. However, there were also a few surprises that deserve more attention. That said, here are the final standings in Group B:
- Quest Esports (5-2-1)
- BetBoom Team (4-2-2)
- Gaimin Gladiators (3-4-1)
- PSG.LGD (3-4-1)
- 9Pandas (3-2-3)
- Azure Ray (2-3-3)
- Bleed Esports (2-3-3)
- Nouns (1-3-4)
- Evil Geniuses (0-3-5)
Quest Esports shocked the world
Fans who followed Tour 3 of Western Europe's DPC remember that a team called Quest Esports found its way among the top four. However, none likely expected this squad to achieve anything, but with the Bali Major 2023 Group Stage concluded, Quest Esports have shocked everyone by finishing first in their group.
The team outplayed almost all of its opponents and had no problems against some of the biggest names in the group. For example, in the match against Gaimin Gladiators, the first map between the two lasted 136 minutes, making it the third-longest in Dota 2's history. It had absolutely everything we could dream of, and ultimately, it favored QE. That said, Gaimin Gladiators have proven why they're the team that won four consecutive tournaments in a row and equalized the match in the second game.
Gaimin Gladiators will try to achieve the impossible
Speaking of one of the world's most dominant Dota 2 teams, Dota 2 fans are not surprised that Gaimin Gladiators will advance to the next stage of The Bali Major 2023. DreamLeague Season 20's champions have had little to no competition and will do everything possible to win yet another Major. We haven't seen any professional Dota 2 team achieving this thus far, making this record even more impressive.
Gaimin Gladiators are probably the team that understands the current meta better than anyone else. Sure, there are a couple of other top-tier teams on a similar level, but most people can agree that GG is in a league of its own. Consequently, we can't wait to see if the team will live up to its fans' expectations and win the event.
What should we expect from playoffs?
Besides GG, which is the big favorite, as the playoffs continue to get underway, Quest Esports and Team Aster are two teams to keep an eye on moving forward. With the latter team, they are raring to win an international tournament and it must just happen if they can pull it together.
The Playoffs at the Bali Major 2023 started on July 5, and you can watch all games in real-time on one of the official streams. Remember, the latter is available in many languages, and you can find the best Dota 2 casters in the world.
You can learn more about the schedule for the Playoffs by clicking here.
