The Lima Major 2023 is currently underway with the preliminary rounds of lower brackets eliminating six teams from the Playoffs. As we advance further into the Lima Major Lower Bracket (LB) Quarterfinals and Upper Bracket (UB) Finals, here’s a recap of what unfolded thus far.

This weekend, we are set for a banger of a final, and some interesting series down the line.

We kicked off the first day of Playoffs with UB Round 1, Gaimin Gladiators, Entity, Shopify Rebellion, and Team Liquid winning their respective series against Team Aster, EG, Team Spirit, and Talon Esports respectively.

Yet, Shopify’s Artour “Arteezy” Babaev deserves kudos for single-handedly clutching the series. When Team Spirit decided to attempt Roshan while Shopify’s heroes were down, Arteezy’s Shadow Fiend made a game-winning play of blinking into the Roshan Pit as Roshan’s health ticks low, used his ultimate to fear his opponents before snatching Aegis and teleporting out in the nick of time.

This meant Spirit earned nothing out of their efforts to kill Roshan and wasted time while Shopify is down. Spirit is, by no means a weak opponent at Lima Major, so Shopify’s victory certainly is reassuring for fans.

The Lima Major 2023 Day 4 Standings

After the UB, LB Round 1 sets the stage for four teams to face elimination. Coincidentally, the four teams that were demoted to LB after their UB loss went on to the LB Round 2 with ease. As such, HellRaisers, PSG.LGD, beastcoast, and Tundra Esports concluded their Lima Major run at ninth-twelfth finishes without any prize winnings/DPC points. As for Tundra Esports, that’s not a good look for the International 11 (TI11) Champion.

In LB Round 2, Talon Esports swept the floor vs Team Spirit to reinstate their dominance against the TI10 Champions. Whereas, EG also had a phenomenal victory against Team Aster, which seemingly had a rough time countering EG’s fast-paced drafts.

Shopify continued their dominance against EG in the bracket above. They won a 2-1 series after dropping the first game, proving their bracket opening  dominance was no fluke.

Going into the UB Final between Gaimin and Liquid is a testament to Western Europe’s competitive scene as a major player. Sure, Tundra didn’t quite live up to everyone’s expectations, but the post-TI11 shuffle created new competitors with line-ups that could potentially win TI12.

And, that’s what Team Liquid has set its eyes on for the Dota Pro Circuit 2023 (DPC 2023) season. They finished third at TI11, which was already a massive accomplishment. However, with the debut of Michał “Nisha” Jankowski in Liquid, this is one solid roster that could rival any team. In fact, it wouldn’t even be an exaggeration to call that Team Liquid will win the Lima Major altogether.

As for Gaimin, who gave Aster and Entity a good run for their money. They were second only to Liquid during the WEU Division 1 regional league. Since both teams are close rivals, we might have to favor Team Liquid to win the UB Final later today. Liquid’s Nisha is on top of his game as usual, with staple hard carry picks that are difficult to counter. Hence, it’s difficult for Gaimin to find any loophole in overwhelming Liquid’s impeccable gameplay.

Meanwhile, Talon Esports is the remaining Southeast Asian pride as they face off against Entity.

Entity is among the big trio of WEU region, after toppling down Tundra. They will surely be a tough opponent. However, we certainly cannot count Talon out just yet, especially after they defeated Spirit. If anything, Talon could arguably have this match in the bag if they have strong decisive combos, much like their previous matches.

Catch the rest of Lima Major 2023 over the weekend, and may the strongest team lift the title as first Major Champions of DPC 2023.