PSG.LGD Win Dota 2 Riyadh Masters 2022

Chinese Dota 2 powerhouse PSG.LGD defeated Team Spirit in the finals of Riyadh Masters 2022 and claimed their first Dota 2 Major title of the year. With the win, PSG.LGD got their revenge over Team Spirit for their The International 2021 loss in October.

Chinese Dota 2 team won the largest non-Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) event of the year on Sunday, July 25, when they defeated the reigning The International champions, Team Spirit (2-0). Interestingly, the Chinese squad achieved the feat despite coming off their worst DPC performance, placing fourth in China’s DPC Summer Tour and barely qualified for the Major.

But while PSG.LGD’s bounce back from their shaky showings over the last month was incredible; it was even sweeter for PSG.LGD to defeat Team Spirit in the finals.

The two teams have last met at The International 2021 when Team Spirit defeated PSG.LGD in the finals and claimed the Aegis of Champions. Notably, PSG.LGD entered TI 2021 as the main favorites to win the prestigious title, and they looked like one up until they met with Spirit.

Having not suffered a single defeat up to the TI10 finals, PSG.LGD were destined for glory, but they proved no match for the young Spirit core, who took a 2-0 series lead and closed it out on the final map to win the organization’s first TI title.

An incredible success story also left a bitter taste in PSG.LGD’s mouth and created a new rivalry, which is now leveled, with PSG.LGD taking their revenge on the Russian squad.

PSG.LGDS struggled with their performances leading up to Riyadh Masters 2022, but they still entered the tournament as one of the favorites. And the Chinese squad did not need long to establish themselves as such.

PSG.LGD kicked off their campaign in Group B, finishing with a 3-0-1 record, beating Team Spirit, Tundra Esports, and Deboosters, but losing against European powerhouse Team Secret. Still, a runner-up finish was enough for PSG.LGD to qualify for the playoffs, where they eliminated Nigma Galaxy (2-1) from the quarters and the defending Major champions OG (2-1) from the semi-finals.

Despite struggling a little bit en route to the finals, PSG.LGD showed their quality on the big stage, where they dismantled Team Spirit 2-0, needing just under 1 hour and 5 minutes to win the two maps.

Interestingly, this was the first tournament in which Dota 2 teams from China were able to compete. Up to now, Chinese squads were unable to travel across the world to compete on LAN due to COVID travel restrictions, which isolated the region from the rest of the world.

PSG.LGD are widely known as one of the best Dota 2 team in the world, a status the team has held since last season. In 2021, PSG.LGD were nearly unstoppable, having not placed worse than fourth in any of the ten tournaments they attended last season.

Notably, they won WePlay AniMajor, OGA Dota PIT Season 5: China, and OGA Dota PIT Invitational. PSG.LGD also claimed silver from FMWH Dota2 Championship Season 3, ESL One Fall 2021, and TI10, while their worst placements were fourth-place finishes in Dota Pro Circuit 2021: S1 – China Upper Division and i-League 2021 Season 1.

This year, PSG.LGD looked even stronger. In January, they placed third in Intel World Open Beijing but then won DPC China Tour 1 regular season and Regional Finals.

After slipping at OGA Dota PIT Season 6: China (fifth-sixth), PSG.LGD got back on track and won the second DPC China Tour as well as the regional finals.

Most recently, PSG.LGD underdelivered in the final China DPC tour, where they placed fourth, but after winning Riyadh Masters 2022, there is no doubt that PSG.LGD are a force to be reckoned with.