Review of DPC 2023 Tour 2: NAVI and Nigma continue to disappoint, OG's campaign and more

The second round of the DPC 2023 ranking season has come to an end. Along with that, all the participants of the upcoming ESL One Berlin Major 2023 were determined, the names of the teams that retained their places in the first division were revealed, as well as the participants who will be forced to go down in class. In this article you will learn about The International Heroes that took place during the DPC 2023 Tour 2, as well as the conclusions from the tournament that took place.

Natus Vincere and Nigma Galaxy fall to the second division

The second round of DPC 2023 gave Dota 2 fans and spectators not only colorful games and pleasant surprises, but also disappointing disappointments. They were Eastern European and Western European representatives Natus Vincere and Nigma Galaxy, who will spend the final part of the season in the second division. It is noteworthy that both extremely famous teams have already been in a similar situation.

The Ukrainian side NAVI were relegated to the second division at the end of the first round. But the management of the organization made a clever move and signed the PuckChamp squad, which just went up in class. As a result, Natus Vincere had two squads that played in both divisions. But now NAVI have repeated their path. The squad won the first match Darkside, followed by a string of six straight defeats. As a result, the organisation hopes NAVI Junior can secure a place in the top-2 for the DPC EEU 2023 Tour 2: Division II, but the fact remains that the organisation has sunk in terms of quality of performances and has not delighted its fans for a long time.

Nigma Galaxy have also played in Division II before. It was in the previous round, then KuroKy and his teammates easily outplayed all local opponents and returned with renewed vigour to their familiar habitat. The 2-5 statistics did not allow Nigma to confidently retain their place in the first division. They had to have a series of tiebreakers against Monaspa and Entity. Despite their best efforts, Nigma Galaxy will once again be playing against weaker opponents.

OG's cammback and Team Liquid's lead

With the departure of ATF, the OG squad was strengthened by DM but did not look competitive. What's more, the European side shocked their fans initially by losing four games in a row, including one against the newcomers to the division, the Ooredoo Thunders. Many had already started to write OG off, but the two-time champions of The International managed to pull themselves together and win three matches, enabling them to take part in a tiebreaker for 4th-5th place against OT. The 2-1 result allowed OG to earn a slot at ESL One Berlin Major 2023, but such instability demonstrates not the best state of the renewed line-up of the legendary organisation.

Team Liquid, on the other hand, not only strengthened with Nisha's arrival, but also became one of the strongest teams in the world. Remarkably, after Nisha's departure from Team Secret, they have already managed to relegate to the second division. Given the level of competition in Western Europe, a 6-1 finish in the league is extremely respectable. Liquid are very happy with their play and are now one of the main contenders to win The Berlin Major 2023.

HellRaisers dominance in Eastern Europe

HellRaisers were able to get a crushing victory in Eastern Europe. Solo and his men went undefeated, securing first place and preparing for The Berlin Major. The Major tournament in Berlin will show how competitive this squad is among the best teams in the world, as Eastern Europe has long been outside of the strongest regions in Dota 2. Overall, HellRaisers, now known as ex-HellRaisers, are a worthy rival to Team Spirit, champions of The International 2021.

Team Aster were unable to compete with PSG.LGD

It has been a traditionally bitter struggle for the top four in China. Previously, Team Aster were thought to have played decently and at times even overtook their rivals from PSG.LGD in terms of results. And initially all was well, the team won four straight victories. But in the last game week something went wrong. BoBoKa and the team Ledge and Ybb Gaming, Xtreme Gaming and PSG.LGD. The Aster team had enough to qualify for the ESL One Berlin Major 2023, but they were clearly determined to earn more DPC points.

DPC CN 2023 Tour 2: Division I generally marked the return of teams like Invictus Gaming and Xtreme Gaming to LAN-iVent. IG in fact last left online at the end of February last year.

Talon Esports continue to gain momentum

Talon Esports stand out qualitatively from the rest of the teams in Southeast Asia. The cybersports club from Hong Kong repeated the aforementioned achievement of HellRaisers, finishing the league with a 7-0 statistic. A look at the team's history reveals a tangible development in the level of play.

Talon Esports' meteoric rise began after The International 2023 where 23savage and its teammates finished 17th-18th, but many noted that the squad was showing promise. Already in the DPC SEA 2023 Tour 1: Division I, the team reached the top 3, which ensured a trip to Peru for the first Major event of the season. The Lima Major 2023 has been a sensation on the professional Dota 2 scene. Talon Esports are in great form and have every chance to continue to surprise.

American Stability

North America and South America bring few surprises in terms of the teams that will travel to Berlin, Germany to battle for the impressive prize pool and coveted DPC points. North America will be represented by TSM and Shopify Rebellion, while South America will be represented by beastcoast and Evil Geniuses. Meanwhile, TSM and beastcoast, who won their respective leagues, played with a 7-0 record.

In North America we would like to mention the Ukrainian team B8, captained by legendary NAVI player, Dendi. B8 have moved from Eastern Europe and are playing competitively by local standards. The team has every chance of improving their results in the next draw of the first division.

DPC 2023 Tour 2 was the last event for the South American squad of the Alliance organisation. The team's management announced the dissolution of Alliance.LATAM after the club's players finished in 6th place.

Conclusion

On DPC 2023 Tour 2 some regions such as America and Latin America and teams distinguished themselves with stable results which surprised no one. But a number of teams were able to please Dota 2 fans, and some continue to lose faith of their fans and ordinary spectators. Ahead of the teams is ESL One Berlin Major 2023, which can both confirm existing trends and completely destroy them.