Shopify Rebellion vs TSM Dota 2 The International 2023 Lower Bracket Round 1 highlights

Dota 2 The International 2023's Upper Bracket playoffs saw Team Spirit, Team Liquid, LGD Gaming, and Azure Ray proceed to the Upper Bracket Semifinals. Meanwhile, Virtus.pro, Talon Esports, nouns, and 9Pandas were relegated to the Lower Bracket Round 2.

That said, the first series of Dota 2 TI12 Lower Bracket Round 1 witnessed the North American powerhouse, Shopify Rebellion, locking horns with TSM. In a surprising turn of events, the latter eliminated the former from The International 2023. Scroll ahead to learn more about the drafts, matchups, and more.

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TSM clean-sweeps Shopify Rebellion 2-0, advances to Dota 2 TI12 Lower Bracket Round 2

First game between Shopify Rebellion and TSM

Bulba, Shopify Rebellion's coach, faced criticism from the fans as he drafted a weak lineup in the first game of Dota 2 TI12 Lower Bracket Round 1. TSM, on the other hand, had a stronger lineup.

Shopify Rebellion (Dire):

• Dark Willow - Arteezy
• Puck - Abed
• Bristleback - Saberlight
• Keeper of the Light - Cr1t
• Elder Titan - Fly

TSM (Radiant):

• Chaos Knight - Timado
• Earth Spirit - Bryle
• Dawnbreaker - Kasane
• Tusk - Ari
• Grimstroke - Whitemon

The game started well for both teams as they secured good farm and kills during the match's early stages. Puck even roamed the map and helped Shopify eliminate Dawnbreaker and Chaos Knight. However, this didn't halt TSM's momentum, as they engaged in constant fights and emerged victorious.

As a result, Chaos Knight easily outfarmed Arteezy's Dark Willow, who struggled to acquire the necessary items. Things took a turn for the worse for Shopify's safelaner as he was picked off by Dawnbreaker, Earth Spirit, and Tusk in his own jungle.

A team fight erupted near Dire's bounty rune, where TSM managed to eliminate Shopify's supports. After a couple of team fights, Shopify secured the Aegis on Puck and immediately engaged in a fight.

Subsequently, Arteezy's Dark Willow was instantly eliminated by TSM. This proved disastrous as Chaos Knight went on to kill the rest of Shopify's heroes, earning a triple kill. Puck, however, managed to escape this slaughter with the Aegis intact. From this point, Chaos Knight became highly active and started hunting down Shopify's heroes.

TSM acquired the second Aegis and began knocking on Dire's base. But with Willow's Scepter and Bristleback's damage, they managed to hold off TSM. After a few minutes, both teams clashed near the Radiant Roshan Pit.

With Chaos Knight's and Dawnbreaker's massive physical damage output, TSM quickly eliminated Puck, KOTL, and Elder Titan. Dark Willow was once again surrounded by TSM's heroes and eliminated. TSM proceeded to push, securing the top racks and eventually the game, as Shopify couldn't withstand the immense pressure with their weak lineup.

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Game 2 between Shopify Rebellion and TSM

The second game was no different as Shopify got outplayed by TSM even with a strong lineup and a perfect early-game. The latter had a full on fighting-based lineup that sent Shopify out of Dota 2 The International 2023.

Shopify Rebellion (Radiant):

• Morphling - Arteezy
• Primal Beast - Abed
• Centaur Warrunner - Saberlight
• Skywrath Mage - Cr1t
• Phoenix - Fly

TSM (Dire):

• Luna - Timado
• Magnus - Bryle
• Lycan - Kasane
• Snapfire - Ari
• Shadow Demon - Whitemon

Shopify's game began with early kills and momentum, while TSM didn't secure a single kill until the 14th-minute mark. Morphling was farming well and growing stronger. However, this changed when Shopify initiated a fight behind TSM's Tier 1 mid tower and lost three heroes in the process.

This opened a brief window of opportunity for TSM as they stayed together and played cautiously. Whitemon's Shadow Demon saved his cores with Disruption, which significantly helped TSM. They began winning teamfights, and Luna gradually amassed items like Manta Style, Mask of Madness, and Crystalys.

Saberlight and Fly after getting eliminated from TI12 (Image via Dota 2/Instagram)

Arteezy couldn't outfarm Luna, and he struggled to secure kills. TSM was sieging Dire's base within 25 minutes, and things took a turn for the worse for Shopify. Due to their lack of team synergy and dynamics, they ended up losing the deciding game and were eliminated from Dota 2 TI12.

TSM advanced to the Dota 2 The International 2023 Lower Bracket Round 2, where they will face 9Pandas.