Nouns Secures Their International 2023 Ticket
After triumphing over B8 in the North America TI qualifiers, Nouns will join TSM and Shopify Rebellion at The International 2023. The team is one of the favourites from the region as it consists of promising players. Moreover, Nicolas "Gunnar" Lopez finally qualified for The Internationals after his fourth attempt. Many considered Gunnar one of the best midlaners in the NA region, but the player always had to suffice his desire with a runner-up spot until this year.
The Match
The qualifiers' grand final match was intense. Nouns finally had what they needed to secure their TI ticket. On the other hand, fans wanted to see the face of Dota 2, Danil "Dendi" Ishutin, return to the top level of the professional scene with B8. However, going into the series, Nouns had the upper bracket spot as they tore through every team in their way.
In contrast to their opponent, B8 crumbled to Wildcard Gaming in the upper bracket and had to go through the lower bracket. They eventually avenged their upper-bracket defeat in the semi-finals. After a dominant series against Team Dogchamp, B8 stepped into the ring against Nouns to give it a shot. However, despite having nearly everyone on their side, B8 couldn’t find the strength to overcome the NA natives. Nouns took the series in a dominantly.
In game 1, B8 tried attempted to play a fast-paced game to enable their safelane Gyrocopter. However, their opposing team figured out their B8’s plans, evading them until their safelane Terrorblade hits its crucial item timing. Having no way back into the game, B8 tapped out at 35 minutes.
Nouns played more aggressively in game 2. Since the laning stage, the team pressured B8. Playing a fast-paced game, they snowballed their advantage into objectives and gave no chance for B8 to find their way back into the game. Eventually, they took the game at 26 minutes.
Game 3 had the most ridiculous draft of the series. B8 had a Witch Doctor as their midlaner, while Nouns had an Earth Spirit midlane. It was a back-and-forth game as both teams pushed each other to the limit. They took a lane of Barracks lead. Despite the rack advantage, B8 was still in the game, and they took a favourable skirmish at 53 minutes. However, B8’s high-ground attempt without aegis haunt them, as their safelane Faceless Void with Divine Raiper get heavily punished, earning them a defeat at 56 minutes.
Noun’s Journey
Nouns is the team on the rise in the North American region. They secure top-three finishes in the Winter and Spring Tour. In the Summer Tour, the team even manages to take down TSM to get themselves a Bali Major ticket. Their recent addition of Héctor "K1" Rodríguez to the roster before the qualifiers showed dividends. Now with the team qualified for their first TI, Nouns will return to their home servers in October.
Featured Image Source: Twitter/@wykrhm