Groups are over at Dota 2’s Berlin Major, and all Western Europe teams secured a spot in the upper bracket. In the meantime, two out of three teams from Southeast Asia were eliminated from the tournament on the weekend of April 29, locking in a disappointing result for the region, especially after an exciting spring tour.
Despite showing great signs of improvement throughout the regular season, Execration and Team SMG found themselves at the bottom of the barrel in their groups.
The two SEA squads were joined out the door by North America’s TSM, South America’s beastcoast, Eastern Europe’s BetBoom Team, and China’s Invictus Gaming. In this list of early exiters, TSM stands out the most—they came to Berlin as NA’s top-seeded team.
For the entirety of the 2023 season, TSM was able to defeat Shopify Rebellion on their home turf. However, TSM crashed out of the Lima and Berlin Major while SR continued both events from the upper bracket. A quick departure from a Major means missing out on prize money and Dota Pro Circuit points.
If TSM keeps up performing in NA’s domestic league, David “MoonMeander” Tan’s students could make it to The International 2023 without getting a single DPC point from the Majors. A single slip-up in Dota’s summer tour could ruin TSM’s plans though, since remaining at the bottom half of the top 12 comes with its own set of risks.
Dota 2’s Berlin Major will continue with its playoffs on May 1.
