Lima Major: Talon Esports Secure 3rd Place
Now that the Lima Major has concluded, Gaimin Gladiators is the talk of the town. And they deserve the spotlight; no one has earned it more than them. But I would like to shine some light on the team that surprised everyone at the major, Talon Esports.
With the European region dominating the Lima Major's group stage, those teams were considered favorites for the tournament. But no one expected a South East Asian team to get this far.
Talon's Group Stage
During the group stage, Talon couldn't secure wins against strong opponents like GG and Team Spirit. Most of their matches ended in draws, losing only one series against Tundra. It showed they were capable of winning against top teams if they went the distance. But the team's game sense was unpredictable at times. The team would over-extend, causing them to lose fights, or would not read the opponents.
But they seemed to have worked on this after the group stage ended. Talons Esports was the only SE Asia team to make it to the main stage. They secured the 4th spot in their group, making them face Team Liquid in the upper bracket.
Talon's Nemesis
Team Liquid, the team all the fans expected to win the major, was Talon Esports' first opponent on the main stage. Even though Team Liquid was dropping teams left & right, it was Talon that suffered the most. They stopped Talon's progress at the most crucial points at the Lima Major. Talon got knocked down to the lower bracket in their first series against Team Liquid, making them continue their lower bracket run. Then at the lower bracket finals, Liquid knocked them out of the tournament.
Lower Bracket Run
Dropped down to the lower bracket, Talon Esports did not give up. They adapted to the international competition, gaining more consistency as the games progressed. The team won four consecutive series in the lower bracket. They eliminated Team Spirit, Entity & Shopify Rebellion, which were expected to be much stronger than them.
23's Savage Plays
23savage's 13k mmr game sense has saved the team at crucial times. Some notable moments are his Aeon Disk pick-up on Faceless void against Team Spirit. He followed up with a bkb drop at the Roshan pit to pick up the Refresher Orb for a second Chrono. All this while contesting for Roshan with Team Spirit.
https://clips.twitch.tv/PricklyLightCheesecakeSeemsGood-KAta8UZpgyh4MVm4
Another moment was 23savage's Terrorblade Sunder on Jabz's Razor, bringing back Razor to full health. This turned around the team fight for Talon, and they team-wiped Entity.
Talon took 3rd place at the Major along with $75,000 & 300 DPC points. A vast improvement when compared to last year's run. This is Talon Esports' first time getting a top 3 finish in international waters. This SEA Team has earned the respect of many fans all over the world. We hope to see much more Dota from this team and much wacky plays and drafts.
Featured Image: Talon Esports/Twitter