SEA’s last hope: Talon soars to Lima Major LB final

Logos from Liquipedia | Edited by Dave Bernasibo, Esports INQ

After breezing through matches against Entity and Shopify Rebellion, Talon Esports is one match away from the Lima Major grand final stage. The Southeast Asian team remains undefeated in its lower bracket run in the Lima Major playoffs stage. The team has crushed three of Europe’s finest teams and sent Shopify Rebellion, NA’s last hope, on their way to the airport.

Swoop n’ split

Talon Esports made quick work of European team Entity, sweeping the latter in two 30-minute games.

Nuengnara “23Savage” Teeramahanon sundered through Entity’s ranks in game 1, leaving no room for the latter’s Invoker-centric scaling composition. Chan “Oli” Chon Kien’s Treant Protector also helped secure the win by ensuring that Entity kept its roots on the ground. The game ended in a stomp, with a 33-15 score and a 25k gold lead in Talon’s favor.

Game 2 told the same story, despite Entity picking up Terrorblade for themselves. Alimzhan “Watson” Islambekov’s Terrorblade failed to bring terror against Talon’s Templar Assassin in 23Savage’s hands. Rafli “Mikoto” Rahman’s Zeus brought down storms and thunder, securing another win for Talon. The second game also ended in a stomp, with a 23k gold difference and a 30-11 final score.

Thwarting the rebellion

The SEA team is on a roll and has no plans of stopping. Not even against the former-EG players-turned-Shopify Rebellion roster. Both teams gave their all, drawing out the match into a three-game series. 

Game 1 saw Talon dominate the North American team, with 23Savage leading the onslaught as Lina. With a score of 10-1-15 and a two-item power spike at 21 minutes, there was nothing Tal “Fly” Azik and the crew could do to douse the flames. The game ended with a 38-9 score in favor of Talon, with a 40k gold deficit.

Talon and Shopify Rebellion’s game 1 items and levels (screenshot from Dotabuff)

Shopify Rebellion retaliated in game 2, with Artour “Arteezy” Babaev sniffing out hemorrhages in Talon’s ranks as Bloodseeker. 23Savage’s Lina could not spark enough flames to get Talon’s momentum going, forcing them to give up the game to the Rebellion crew. The game ended in a stomping 43-19 final score and a 50k gold lead in favor of Shopify Rebellion.

Talon hammered the final nail in the coffin for Shopify Rebellion, and led them straight to the airport. Leading the game as Spectre, 23Savage haunted everyone in the NA team with an early Aghanim’s Scepter pickup at 16 minutes. Oli’s solid Treant Protector pick also helped root Shopify Rebellion, ensuring that none would escape unscathed during teamfights and ganks. The game closed out with a 51-13 final score, and a 30k gold lead from Talon Esports.

Talon Esports is set to face off against Team Liquid in the lower bracket final match. Winning this match would secure them a spot in the grand final against upper bracket champions Gaimin Gladiators. The games will be streamed on Twitch starting 12:00 AM PHT on March 6, 2023.

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