In a Dota 2 competition, anything may happen at any time, even with the smallest margins of victory. And SEA powerhouse Talon Esports found out the hard way last night in the upper bracket semi-finals of the Riyadh Masters 2023, where Team Liquid defied the odds and surprised them in the last seconds to win the series.
Although most pundits favored Team Liquid to win the semi-finals, Talon was not fazed in the face of the WEU’s giant and put up a valiant fight. Even though Liquid won the first game easily, Talon’s tactics caught them off guard and allowed them to make a comeback in the second game, thanks to the dynamic duo Rafli “Mikoto” Rahman and Nuengnara “23savage” Teeramahanon.
The battle was subsequently extended to third round, with both teams trading blows since the early game. Talon, however, gained the upper hand in the majority of teamfights with 23savage’s Morphling, which created space for his mates to attack Liquid’s players. Despite the pressure, Liquid was able to survive every potential team wipe, thanks to their ace, Michal “Nisha” Jankowski.
Talon Esports eventually won a decisive teamfight in the 57th minute and pushed to Liquid’s base, where victory appeared to be within their grasp. However, as 23savage was rejoicing in front of Riyadh Masters fans, Liquid’s carry, Ludwig “zai” Wahlberg, decided to sell his items and buy Boots of Travel, ratting his way to Talon’s base. In game three, zai’s Broodmother emerged as the hero, single-handedly destroying Talon’s ancient and sending his team to the upper bracket final.
Despite losing to Liquid in a close match, Talon still has another shot in the tournament from the lower bracket quarterfinals, where they’ll face the winner of the second-round lower bracket match between Team Aster and 9Pandas. Nonetheless, 23savage has clearly learned from his error and must remind himself not to celebrate until the game is actually over.
As the sole SEA representative in the Riyadh Masters 2023, Talon has done very well in showcasing the region’s strength so far. They have defeated crowd favorites such as Shopify Rebellion, Team Secret, and Quest Esports to reach the upper bracket semifinal before being defeated by Liquid.
