The Riyadh Major will witness the final round of tier-1 Dota 2 face-offs before the Last Chance Qualifiers for The International 2023 kick in. After an otherwise predictable play-in and group stage, a surprise upset has jump-started the playoffs. Quest Esports, dispatched to the lower brackets by Talon Esports, will face PSG.LGD in the first lower bracket series today.
This will be the ultimate litmus test for PSG.LGD, unanimously known as the top Chinese Dota 2 team. The new roster has often shown glimpses of the Wang "Ame" Chunyu-era rigor, but a few whiffed games have condemned them to the lower bracket. They will be locking horns against Riyadh Masters Group Table toppers, who have not lost a single series throughout the group stage.
Preview of PSG.LGD vs Quest Esports Dota 2 LB R1 Riyadh Masters 2023
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Predictions
Quest Esports have consistently proven their tier-1 chops since their days as 'Ooredoo Thunders.' Clawing their way into the first division of the most competitive Dota 2 region, they have disproven the naysayers by steadily holding their ground.
Recent standings mean they are only beaten by Western Europe juggernauts like Team Liquid and Gaimin Gladiators. Not only did they qualify for the Bali Major, they were close to defeating Team Liquid and reaching the grand finals.
Quest Esports have readjusted their roster since the successful Bali Major run, swapping one stand-in for another in the offlane role. Regardless, their current romp through the Riyadh Masters, with Abdimalik “Malik” Sailau from Natus Vincere as the loaned offlaner, has proven just as successful.
PSG.LGD, on the other hand, have been plagued with inconsistency. The current squad, hand-picked by TI-winning captain Zhang "WhyouSm1Le" Yipling, has often proven to be another promising PSG.LGD roster.
However, the current stupor that seemingly plagues the Chinese Dota 2 scene seemingly also rattles PSG.LGD. Their otherwise stellar drafting has often been blunted by the LAN pressure and lack of confidence. If they fail to pick up form against a hungry Quest Esports side, they might lose 0-2.
Head-to-head
Quest Esports have faced PSG.LGD a total of three times, all of which are relatively recent. Cumulatively, their tally against each other comes to a tie. Both have one win and a draw. The total number of maps won also comes to an even 3-3 tally.
Previous Results
Quest Esports fought against Talon Esports in the upper bracket R1 of the Riyadh Masters playoff yesterday. They were the favorites going into the best-of-three series, fresh off their successful group stage run. However, the seasoned aggression of Talon Esports got the better of them in the tiebreaker game 3.
PSG.LGD's last match-up, on the other hand, was a one-off tiebreaker game to determine the fourth upper-bracket contestant from Group A. After an early start in the map against 9Pandas, they were eventually broken by Gleb "kiyotaka" Zyryanov on his indomitable Ember Spirit.
Riyadh Masters 2023 rosters
PSG.LGD
- Lin “planet” Hao
- Zhang “y`” Yiping (also known as WhyouSm1Le)
- Li “niu” Kongbo
- Cheng “NothingToSay” Jin Xiangr
- Guo “shiro” Xuanang
Quest Esports
- Oleh “kaori” Medvedok
- Abdimalik “Malik” Sailau
- Omar “OmaR” Moughrabi
- Tony “No!ob” Assaf
- Aybek “TA2000” Tokayev
Livestream details
Riyadh Masters, the final Valve-sponsored tier-1 tournament this year before TI, can be viewed on the official Twitch and Youtube handles of the tournament organizers, Gamers8GG. The series kicks off at 5 am ET on July 26, 2023.
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