Staff Liquid grew to become the primary Western European workforce to safe qualification for the Dota 2 Lima Main after Entity fell 1-2 to OG.

Staff Liquid have been on a roll for the reason that starting of the 2023 DPC season. Not solely did they go 5-0 of their first 5 sequence of the DPC Winter Tour, however they’re additionally the primary and the one workforce until now who’ve defeated the TI11 champions, Tundra Esports, since their triumph in Singapore.

On the finish of the second week of the Western EU Division I DPC League, when Liquid had been main 5-0, there was hardly any doubt of them securing qualification for the Lima Main. However mathematically, there was nonetheless the opportunity of 5 groups ending with a scoreline of 5-2. That risk was squashed when OG defeated Entity 2-1 within the first sequence on the twenty third of January, which secured the primary WEU slot for Liquid with out them having to play a recreation on the day.

So heading into their sequence in opposition to Gaimin Gladiators, Liquid solely had satisfaction to play for.

No workforce that secures its aim within the DPC League goes to take its foot off the gasoline pedal. Although the DPC Main qualification was secured, Liquid went into their sequence in opposition to Gaimin Gladiators with a view to maintain their unblemished report intact.

The primary recreation was an annihilation in favor of Liquid, who gained with a kill rating of 31-6. Gaimin Gladiators couldn’t get a single kill on Liquid’s place 1 and place 2 heroes. Monkey King and Invoker ran amuck, with no reply from GG.

Sport 2 was the place issues obtained attention-grabbing. Liquid had an Ember Spirit, who will get destroyed in lane by Huskar. Michael “Micke” Vu anticipated the Huskar choose, however Liquid’s coach William “Blitz” Lee didn’t suppose GG would go for the Sacred Warrior, as he talked about within the interview after the sequence. However by the way, they did pull out the cheese Huskar choose. Quinn “Quinn” Callahan dominated the sport on the hero to deliver the sequence on stage to 1-1, and hand Liquid their first recreation lack of the DPC Winter Tour.

Sport 3 had each groups going for attention-grabbing drafts. Whereas Liquid had a protected lane Demise Prophet, Gaimin Gladiators determined to place their hopes for a win on a final choose offlane Jakiro, which the panel stored attributing to a WEU pub specialist by the title of Hobo Harry. There’s a motive Hobo Harry isn’t on knowledgeable workforce, which is that the offlane Jakiro didn’t do properly in any respect. Sport 3 appeared like a repeat of recreation 1 with Staff Liquid steamrolling Gaimin Gladiators, this time with a kill rating of 39-9.

On the finish of the day, Staff Liquid are on the prime of the desk with a scoreline of 6-0. They’re solely the second workforce to solidify their place in Peru after Staff Aster in China, who’re 5-0 of their DPC League. When the highest groups on the planet head to Lima within the first week of March, these two groups would be the ones to maintain a watch out for.

Gaimin Gladiators finish the day with a sequence rating of 3-2. They’re flirting with the qualifying spots, with their predominant rivals being Entity, who’ve a rating of 2-3. It might come right down to tiebreakers, and we’ll know for positive who makes the minimize when the final recreation of the Winter Tour is performed between Entity and Nigma Galaxy on the twenty ninth of January.