The Dota 2 Riyadh Masters competition just ended in a twist, as Team Spirit beat Team Liquid in the grand finals to take home the title and $5,000,000 prize pool. And amidst the excitement from the two sides, Talon Esports, the sole representative of Southeast Asia in the tournament, has stole the attention of the world who had witnessed the excitement.
The fans asked and they delivered. Talon Esports has established themselves as a SEA representation by breaking the dominance of European teams, who had been the focus of attention in Dota 2 competitive scene this season, and finished in top three. They showed that anything is possible, thanks to the brilliance of their stars, Rafli “Mikoto” Rahman and Nuengnara “23savage” Teeramahanon.
The high-level play they have shown will certainly inspire players in SEA this season, considering there were many interesting moments recorded throughout the tournament. And here are the interesting moments that made them the hottest topic in Riyadh Masters!
1.The group stage blackout (versus Team Aster)
The second day’s clash between Talon and Team Aster in Group B stage on 22nd July was one of the highlights for the Riyadh Masters spectators, as the former almost lost their game 2 due to technical problems.
For the first 20 minutes of the first game, Talon and Team Aster appeared to be on equal footing. However, as the game progressed into the mid-game, Aster’s Sumail “Sumail” Hassan completed his Snapfire’s build, making it harder for Talon to contain him. They eventually conceded game 1 after 38 minutes.
Entering game 2, Talon shifted their attention to Sumail. Even though Team Aster appeared to be on par in the first 30 minutes, Talon didn’t back down and became even more vicious as the game neared the 40th minute. They attempted to finish it by assaulting Aster’s base in the 58th minute, but a technical issue forced the game to be paused for a short period.
According to reports at the time, their PC ran into a problem that was affecting their performance. The teamfight that occurred was eventually reset, giving Team Aster a little window of opportunity. Talon’s domination, however, remained unchanged by the setback, and Aster was powerless to prevent their Ancient from being destroyed in the 68th minute.
2.The Rat Race (versus Team Liquid)
After overcoming Quest Esports in the upper bracket quarter-finals, Talon played against Team Liquid in the following round. Even though pundits believed Liquid would win that round, they had no idea Talon would make it difficult for the European behemoth.
Despite winning the first game effectively, Team Liquid failed to capitalize on the momentum and was defeated in game two by a well-played 23savage and Mikoto combination. With the score at 1-1, the contest continued to game 3, which Talon shockingly won.
23’s Morphling consistently created space for his allies, who effectively took out Liquid players throughout the game. Their assault lasted until the 57th minute when they won the team fight and opened their attack on Liquid’s Ancient.
During the siege, Liquid’s offlaner, Ludwig “zai” Wahlberg, made a crucial last-minute move and purchased Boots of Travel to pull a rat on Liquid’s exposed base. Talon, who had forgotten about Zai’s Broodmother, realized their mistake too late and lost dramatically in the base race, sending them down to the lower bracket.
3.Medusa’s Onslaught (23savage versus 9Pandas)
In the lower bracket quarter-finals, Talon met 9Pandas, which was nicknamed the “dark horse” of European Dota 2 this season. Despite the fact that many anticipated it as a fierce battle, Talon showed extraordinary determination and trounced 9Pandas 2-0.
Talon dominated throughout the two bouts. 23 and Mikoto were having fun with Medusa and Windranger, who piled up a slew of kills in game 1. 9Pandas, on the other side, could only stall Talon’s attacks, with little they could do to turn things around in the late game.
Noticing a gap in their strength, Talon went even more vicious against them in game 2 when 23 relied on Medusa once more. Talon won the game 27-4 in barely 30 minutes, with 23 scoring the majority of the points.
4.Fight fire with fire (Mikoto versus Gaimin Gladiators)
Talon’s biggest surprise happened when they met the Gaimin Gladiators in the lower bracket semifinals. They accomplished the unimaginable by defeating the supreme ruler of Dota 2 competition of the season and secured a top three position at the 2023 Riyadh Masters.
In game 1, 23savage, Rafli “Mikoto” Rahman, and team captain Anucha “Jabz” Jirawong were able to suppress Leshrac, one of Quinn “Quinn” Callahan’s signature heroes. Jabz’s Razorblade regularly opened space for Mikoto and 23savage to exploit in important team battles, dispersing Gaimin. Talon won it with a score of 33-16 in the 50th minute.
Gaimin then responded by forcing a GG from Talon around the 47th minute to win game 2. However, when Gaimin appeared to regain confidence for the deciding game, Mikoto chose Snapfire, which scorched them throughout the encounter. Mikoto ran rampant for 50 minutes and set Talon on cruise control, leaving Gaimin helpless. Gaimin’s season-long winning streak ultimately ended in the 53rd minute.
5.The MVP
Although Talon’s miraculous route ended at the hands of Team Liquid in the lower bracket final, they still accomplished an incredible feat, considering the heavyweights they had defeated to reach the top three. Amidst their impressive fights, all eyes were watching Mikoto, who is now being considered one of the smartest carry players of the season.
Mikoto was named Riyadh Masters MVP and will earn a $10,000 reward for his outstanding performance throughout the tournament. This award undoubtedly raises the worth of the Indonesian, who has improved throughout his professional Dota 2 career in recent years.
