Cover-Credits:
The playoffs of the Berlin Major have started, and already four teams have fallen to the lower bracket, including Team Spirit, Team Liquid, Shopify Rebellion, and PSG.LGD. However, the lower bracket matches of the major will start today, and teams will fight to keep their tournament dreams alive. It is unexpected to see Team Liquid in the lower bracket considering the team’s dominance in the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC). The TI10 champion, Team Spirit, will face Team Aster in the first lower bracket match of the day, where Sumail "SumaiL" Hassan is currently playing as a stand-in. The lower bracket games are often high-pressure situations, and the teams that can stay calm and focused will be able to make it through.
Team Spirit vs Team Aster
Team Spirit has four out of its five players from the TI10 winning roster, missing only Alexander "TORONTOTOKYO" Khertek, who is currently playing for BetBoom. The team had a good performance in the group stage to secure an upper bracket slot but ultimately fell short in its game against Gaimin Gladiators as it lost 2-0, leading to it dropping to the lower bracket.
Team Aster, one of the three Chinese teams in the tournament, is currently playing with Nigma Galaxy's mid-laner SumaiL as a stand-in. Despite communication issues and language barriers, the team has managed to perform well and make it to the playoffs.
Team Liquid vs Xtreme Gaming
Team Liquid dominated the DPC Western Europe (WEU) 2023 Tour 2 Division I games, finishing first in the standings. However, the team has fallen short in terms of tournaments wins as it lost the Lima Major 2023 grand finals and the Dreamleague Season 19 grand finals to Gaimin Gladiators. The team managed to make it to the upper bracket of the Berlin Major playoffs but failed to deliver a victory against OG, eventually dropping to the lower bracket.
Xtreme Gaming is one of the strongest teams from China, with many popular players on its roster such as Zhang "Paparazi" Chengjun, Hu "Kaka" Liangzhi, and Ding "Dy" Cong. The team's performance in the group stages was sub-par, so it eventually had to settle for a lower-bracket slot in the playoffs. The team has a disappointing record against WEU and Eastern Europe (EEU) teams from the group stages, losing 2-0 to Tundra, Team Spirit, and OG.
Shopify Rebellion vs Evil Geniuses
Shopify Rebellion is one of the more popular teams from the North America (NA) region, consisting of the ex-Evil Geniuses lineup. The team has enjoyed a good run in recent professional Dota, finishing in the top 3 of Dreamleague Season 19 with a stand-in, and making it to the upper bracket of the Berlin Major playoffs. However, it fell short in its game against 9Pandas in a close 2-0 series.
Evil Geniuses (EG) is the only remaining South American (SA) team at the Major, barely making it to the playoffs by securing a 6th place finish in the group stage after playing tiebreakers alongside Aster and BetBoom. It will be interesting to watch whether EG can manage to secure a victory over Shopify Rebellion.
PSG.LGD vs Talon Esports
PSG.LGD is a powerhouse in the Chinese Dota 2 space and is often considered to be the best Chinese team in the world. The team had a good run in the group stage of the Berlin Major 2023, finishing in the top 4 of its group and qualifying for the upper bracket of the playoffs. The team played its first upper bracket match against TI11 champion Tundra Esports but failed to win in a close 2-1 series.
The Chinese team’s opponent is Talon Esports, the only remaining South East Asian (SEA) team at the Berlin Major and the team that finished first in the DPC SEA 2023 Tour 2 Division I standings. The team managed to make it through to the playoffs by placing 5th in the standings of the group stage. The team had secured a few victories in the group stage and had some good performances against strong teams, so it will be interesting to watch how it performs in this game.
The Berlin Major has been an exciting tournament so far, with surprising results and intense gameplay. The lower bracket matches starting today will add another layer of excitement to the tournament, as teams fight to stay in the running by avoiding elimination. With well-known teams like Team Liquid and Shopify Rebellion in the lower bracket, the competition is sure to be fierce. It will be interesting to see which teams are able to rise to the occasion and advance to the next stage of the tournament. The first lower bracket match between Team Spirit and Team Aster promises to be a thrilling game, with the added element of SumaiL playing as a stand-in for Aster. The match is set to start at 18:00PM SGT and is definitely one to watch.
