PSG.LGD and Tundra Esports are out of Lima Major

The Chinese powerhouse PSG.LGD and the TI 11 champion Tundra Esports have been ousted from the Lima Dota 2 Major 2023 after dropping their respective lower bracket BO3 matchups on the second day of the competition.

Team Spirit thrash PSG.LGD in a thrilling Knockout Match

PSG.LGD had a difficult time getting through the Group Stage, but they eventually made it to the Playoffs where they were defeated by Team Spirit in the first lower-bracket match. Since their spectacular confrontations in the TI10 and Arlington Major Grand Finals, both teams have altered their rosters. 

But, despite their best efforts, the Chinese team was unable to overcome the European side, who won the best-of-three series 2-1, maintaining their supremacy in the international competition.

Early in the series, PSG dominated Team Spirit since the European side had a number of problem lanes during the laning phase. Spirit, however, turned the match around with a skillfully performed team fight close to their outpost, allowing them to easily win the first game of the BO3 series and quickly build a dominating 1-0 lead.

Cheng “NothingToSay” Jin Xiang, who finished with a clean 16 kills and 11 assists, put on an outstanding performance for PSG, helping his team win the second game to tie the series 1-1. With the match going down to the wire, Team Spirit came out on top to knock PSG out of the Lima Major and earn their place in the next round.

Team Aster takes down Tundra Esports

The Lima Major saw another spectacular Dota 2 encounter as two of the top teams from TI11, Tundra Esports, who won the title, and Team Aster, which came in fourth, competed in the lower bracket. 

Despite high expectations, Tundra Esports showcased a poor performance in the first match of the knockout series. Aster, who entered the match after losing the upper bracket match against Gaimin Gladiators, appeared comfortable against Tundra’s conventional gameplay, finishing the match with a victory in 34 minutes to gain a lead early on.

Following a sluggish start, Tundra recovered and won the second game to tie the series at one game each. In the third and final match, Tundra controlled the early to midgame, but Aster routed them in the late game after a 48-minute brawl thanks to their superior carry duo Du “Monet” Peng and Zhai “Xwy” Jingkai.

The match finished with a narrow loss for Tundra, and as a result, they were eliminated from contention, which doesn’t look good on the record of the current world champions.

Although a few Dota 2 favorites were eliminated early, the Lima Major Dota 2 tournament is still going to be a thrilling and unpredictable competition as we approach the fourth day of the playoffs, with a number of other elite teams still in the race for a sizable prize pool of $500,000 USD.

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