The Gladiators have been dethroned while Team Liquid continues being the bridesmaids.
Saudi Arabia witnessed the crowning of a new set of champions as Team Spirit reigns victorious in Riyadh Masters. The East European team took down rivals Team Liquid 3-1 in a climactic finish to one of the biggest Dota 2 tournaments of the year.
Team Spirit was a dark horse in many people’s eyes during the tournament, doing well but mostly going unnoticed until the playoffs. The moment when people realized they could win it all was their semifinals match against BetBoom Team.
Team Spirit was always on the backfoot against BetBoom even in the game’s that they won. It was thanks to their tenacity and excellent base defense that they were able to grind out a win and move ahead in the tournament.
Team Liquid on the other hand continued to perform as expected.
The top dogs of West Europe were able to beat their demons early in the playoffs, sending Gaimin Gladiators into the lower bracket. They would beat SEA’s Talon Esports before getting knocked down by Team Spirit in the upper bracket finals. Team Liquid would attempt to get revenge on Team Spirit in the grand finals but, performing as expected, they would fall short, earning them their fifth second place finish this year.
With this win, Team Spirit takes home the lion’s share of Riyadh Master’s 15,000,000 USD prize pool. This is also Team Spirit’s first first championship since winning the Arlington Major back in 2022.
Banner photo from Gamers8 Esports on Twitter.
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