The Riyadh Masters 2023: Cores to Keep an Eye On

Dota 2

17 Jul

Harrison Htet

The Riyadh Masters 2023 is starting this coming week. Featuring a whopping massive prize pool which could challenge Valve’s International prize pool, the tournament will assuredly feature a high-tier Dota with teams bringing their “A game” to the matches. The players play a crucial part in teams playing top-notch games.

The Western European teams dominated the 2022-2023 DPC Season with their players. However, some players from various regions also stepped up their game to bring victory and glory to their teams and region. Going into the Riyadh Masters 2023, these are the players are the ones people should keep an eye out for. Under certain conditions, these players could carry their team to victory.

Kiyotaka - 9Pandaz

The midlane of 9Pandaz, formerly known as “depressed kid”, Gleb "kiyotaka" Zyryanov, is one of the players, recently been on the rise. The player first turned heads during The Berlin Major with his marvellous plays from the midlane Tinker. It even earned him a nickname as the best Tinker in the world. Apart from his Tinker, kiyotaka is also known for his Invoker and Void Spirit. Even though he plays greedy midlaners, he still manages to create space around the map. Moreover, he can certainly step up his game from his midlane if his team needs it.

MiCKe - Team Liquid

The safelaner of Team Liquid is known for his marvellous Morphling plays. Michael "miCKe" Vu is the team’s former midlaner, but for the 2022-2023 DPC Season, he switched his roles as the team’s safelaner. Despite playing a different role, miCKe can always be there when his team needs him. Moreover, he brings his midlane hero pool to safelane, offering vast hero pool potential for Team Liquid. Besides his signature Shadow Fiend and Morphling, miCKe is also known for occasional Juggernaut, Bloodseeker and Phantom Lancer.

Quinn - Gaimin Gladiators

Gaimin Gladiators are unstoppable this season. A massive part of their newfound success lies in their new addition to the team, Quinn “ Quinn” Callahan. Quinn always dominates his midlane during the laning stage. Moreover, he enables his team by creating chaos across the map with his midlane hero power spikes. Although his arrival at Gaimin Gladiators had met criticism, the team silenced the doubters by cleanly sweeping every tier 1 tournament in the 2022-2023 DPC Season.

Dyrachyo - Gaimin Gladiators

The safelaner, Anton "dyrachyo" Shkredov, of Gaimin Gladiators also contributes his role to the team’s success. He often pushes the hero he is playing to the limit to ask for a response from the opposition team. Moreover, his farming pattern is strategic yet unpredictable, as he is willing to take dangerous farms from the map. He is known for his Terrorblade, Medusa and Lifestealer.

NothingToSay - PSG.LGD

The midlaner of PSGLGD is one of the best midlaners in the Chinese region. Often seen playing midlane Ember Spirit and Puck, he can create space for his team on the map whilst eluding the enemy until his team is ready to take skirmishes. He is also The International 2021 runner-up.