Dota 2 is Valve’s popular MOBA title and is one of the most played esports in the entire world. The MOBA game has an incredible professional scene, with the best players competing internationally to win millions of dollars. With such a high level of competition, fans are guaranteed intense and close matches between the best teams in the world. Here is a quick recap of five of the most interesting Dota 2 matches this year!

Team Liquid vs. Gaimin Gladiators - DreamLeague Season 19 Upper Bracket Final - Game 2

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The two most dominant teams in the 2023 Dota 2 circuit have undoubtedly been Team Liquid and Gaimin Gladiators, both teams recently closing out their new rosters. These two teams have built up a notable rivalry to see which one deserves to be the number one team in the world. In DreamLeague Season 19, they met in the Upper Bracket Final on the new 7.33 patch.

Game 2 was an incredible showing of both teams and their immense potential. After losing Game 1, Gaimin Gladiators quickly proved they were no slouches, building up a 20,000 gold lead at the 43-minute mark. However, a team fight went exceptionally well for Team Liquid in the middle lane, where Liquid’s carry player m1CKe, managed to get a rampage on the newly released hero Muerta. This team fight completely swung the Dota 2 live stats, and it was now anyone’s game. The game managed to go over the 60-minute mark, meaning that Tier 5 items were on the menu. After a grueling 76 minutes, Team Liquid managed to secure the final team fight on the back of their high-ground defense and closed the game out as Gaimin Gladiators no longer had buybacks.

Talon Esports vs. PSG.LGD - Berlin Major 2023 - Lower Bracket Round 1 - Game 2

Berlin Major adalah salah satu dari tiga turnamen Major dalam sirkuit Dota 2 Pro 2023. Major ini menantang, karena empat tim langsung dikirim pulang pada hari kedua babak playoff. PSG.LGD jatuh dari Upper Bracket dan harus menghadapi Talon Esports di Lower Bracket dalam seri eliminasi.

Talon dengan cepat mengambil Game 1 dengan penampilan yang bersih, tetapi di Game 2, PSG.LGD memberikan perlawanan besar. Talon keluar sebagai pemenang jelas dari fase laning, tetapi karena beberapa kesalahan, PSG.LGD dengan cepat menghukum agresi Talon untuk menjaga skor Dota 2 tetap dekat. Ini adalah pertandingan yang seru dan berbalik-balik, karena kedua tim saling bertukar kemenangan tim untuk menjaga permainan seimbang.

Namun, satu momen dalam permainan mengubah segalanya. Talon memiliki kombinasi Naga Siren dan Disruptor, di mana Naga Siren's Song of the Siren adalah setup yang mudah untuk Static Storm Disruptor. Di dekat Dire Top Tier 2, 23savage pada Naga Siren-nya berhasil membuat tidur empat orang, sehingga Oli's Disruptor dengan mudah menurunkan Static Storm dengan upgrade Aghanim's Scepter-nya. Satu momen dalam permainan ini benar-benar mengubah keuntungan bagi Talon, memungkinkan mereka menutup pertandingan dan mengeliminasi salah satu tim terbaik dari China.

OG vs. Evil Geniuses - Berlin Major 2023 - Lower Bracket Quarter Final - Game 1

When we’re talking about the most “interesting” Dota 2 matches, the Lower Bracket Quarter Final between OG and Evil Geniuses is the icing on the cake. In this 50/50 matchup, no one was too sure which team would come out on top. To begin the series, Game 1 already had one of the most unique drafts in the entire tournament.

Game 1 had an unorthodox Medusa support for OG and a mid-lane Anti-Mage for Evil Geniuses. The Dota 2 match started with lots of lane swapping between the middle and bottom lanes, while the top lane was a brawl fiesta. Overall, OG came out of the laning phase strong, securing a 16,000 gold lead at the 32-minute mark. However, Pakazs, on his Naga Siren, was left alone farming up a storm.

The game featured some incredible team fights and plays from both sides, making the game extremely unpredictable. Lots of buybacks were used in team fights throughout the game, and it was a highly entertaining game to watch. Evil Geniuses managed to pull off the comeback and secure Game 1 of the elimination series, winning the match and advancing to the next stage.

9Pandas vs. Tundra Esports - Berlin Major 2023 - Upper Bracket Semi Final - Game 3

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9Pandas, a newly formed team, were the dark horses coming into the Berlin Major. Nobody was too sure about how this team would perform on the big stage, especially when their captain couldn’t attend the tournament. Playing with a stand-in, 9Pandas had to face off against the reigning TI champions, Tundra Esports.

The Dota 2 match went on to three maps, where 9Pandas came in with a Tinker surprise pick falling into kiyotaka’s hands. Tundra started swinging in the laning phase and built up a 6,000 gold lead 18 minutes into the game. However, these minutes were only celebrations before the impending doom of kiyotaka’s Tinker.

After farming his core items, kiyotaka put on one of the most amazing Tinker performances anyone has seen in a Tier 1 Dota 2 tournament. He single-handedly carried every team fight, and Tundra had no answers to the Tinker. The incredible Tinker performance helped 9Pandas cross the finish line and pull off an unexpected upset over the TI champions, who were sent down to the Lower Bracket.

OG vs. Ooredoo Thunders - DPC 2023 Spring Tour - 4th Place Decider - Game 3

OG makes it to the list a second time. In the second DPC 2023 Tour, OG and Ooredoo Thunders had a tied record of 3-4, and both teams were fighting for the final Major slot in the Western Europe region. This meant that the winner of the match would qualify for the Berlin Major, and the loser would have to sit out and wait until the next Tour.

Both teams traded maps, and we were headed onto a Game 3 decider for the Major. The first half of Game 3 was extremely close, with both teams farming the map out and waiting for their item timings. At the 43-minute mark, Ooredoo Thunders had built up an 8,000 gold lead, but a substantial team fight victory swung the gold into OG’s favor. Despite that team fight, the game was still up for grabs.

The game was decided with a ten-buyback final team fight at the top half of the map, where Ooredoo Thunders committed all their heroes on OG’s carry Yuragi. Miraculously, Yuragi survived the initial burst and killed all Ooredoo Thunder’s heroes in seconds, securing the series win for OG. OG went on to finish 5-6th place at the Berlin Major.

Conclusion

In conclusion, only half of 2023 has passed, but we’ve been given incredible matches with close team fights and unbelievable comebacks. The Dota 2 2023 circuit isn’t over yet, as we still have the Bali Major and The International 2023 before the professional season ends.