Cover-Credits:
PSG.LGD managed to prevail over Team Spirit and won the Riyadh Masters 2022 by taking down the TI10 champions 2-0. As the victor of the Riyadh Masters, PSG.LGD receives a sizeable $1.5 million USD in prize winnings, while Spirit receives $750 thousand. PSG.LGD proved to be the superior team in both drafting and execution, making it a one-sided affair in the grand finals. While Spirit got off to decent starts in both games, it was outmatched during the mid-game. While not as significant as winning The International 10 (TI10), PSG.LGD will be pleased to have defeated Spirit twice in the Riyadh Masters, both times in dominant fashion.
Team Spirit vs PSG.LGD: Match recap and highlights
Recap
In game 1, Spirit had a single target heavy lineup, relying on pulling ahead early on, whereas PSG.LGD had the superior teamfight draft. It was an extremely hectic early stage, with both sides fighting one other. As a consequence, the safelaners on both sides suffered, but as the game proceeded, Ame recovered far better than Yatoro with all the space his team gave him. The other four PSG.LGD players advanced as one unit, seizing towers and killing heroes on their way. Spirit's draft lacked at playing from the back foot and, despite its best efforts, lost the game.
In game 2, Spirit targeted Ame in the laning phase again, killing him twice in the opening five minutes. However, Spirit's aggressiveness waned, and it was PSG.LGD's victory in the game's first teamfight that propelled them to the lead. While Collapse was enjoying another decent game on Viper, the other cores lagged behind PSG.LGD's. Spirit never got the necessary momentum and fell further behind. PSG.LGD took down one tower after another and finished the game in 30 minutes, thanks to tanky cores pushing and y helping them survive whenever required on Dazzle.
Highlights
Here are some highlights of the series.
Since the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) resumed in 2021, PSG.LGD has been the standout Dota 2 team. Having placed third at the Singapore Major 2021, won the Stockholm Major, placed second at TI10, and now won the Riyadh Masters, the Chinese squad has had a series of stellar results. In the wake of a fourth place finish at Tour 3 of the DPC, it was unknown how the team would perform, but it has proved that it still can deliver when it matters the most. In just 10 days, the PGL Arlington Major will begin, so it will be fascinating to see if this performance carries over.
While history did repeat itself by bringing Team Spirit and PSG.LGD into another epic grand final, there was a twist this time as the latter emerged victorious. Spirit's recent momentum was not enough to give it a tournament victory this time as PSG.LGD proved the superior team in all facets of the game. Even so, Spirit will be satisfied with the way it performed in this event replete with top teams after a rather tumultuous DPC season.
