Not too shabby!
Talon Esports was the surprise package of the Lima Major, making a remarkable run in the Lower Brackets to finish 3rd.
They were the only team to make it out of the Lower Brackets, with Excretion and Geek Slate falling to their more experienced rivals. Execration, who won the DPC SEA Winter Tour 2023 last January, was eliminated without winning a single match in Group A. Meanwhile, Geek Slate, who had performed well in the first two days of group B, was unable to maintain their performance and was eliminated after being defeated by Beastcoast and HellRaisers in their final group matchday.
Talon will receive 75,000 USD as well as 300 DPC points. These results put them fourth in the current global rankings, trailing Shopify Rebellion, Gaimin Gladiators, and Team Liquid.
How did they do it? Here’s four crucial moments in their run to the best of the rest.
1. Mikoto’s all time high (vs Gaimin, group stage matchday 1)
Talon started their Lima Major group stage against the new European favourite, Gaimin Gladiator, in the first day. With Talon being the third-ranked team in DPC SEA, nobody expected them to win the game on that day.
Surprisingly, Talon was able to stay up with Gaimin’s game, which lasted 55 minutes. Despite the fact that Gaimin’s superstar, Dyracahyo, controlled the opening game with a spectacular game of Blood Seeker, Talon’s tight defence kept them from an easy win in game 1.
The fun began for Talon, however, when Mikoto revealed Puck as an ace on his sleeve in game 2. The Indonesian player then made a history with 34 kills with Puck in 65 minutes, one of the longest matches in a Major, and won the MVP title in the second game.
2. The retribution (vs Execration, game 2 of group stage matchday 1)
A key moment for Talon was meeting and then beating Excretion, who defeated them in the DPC SEA Winter Tour 2023, in group A. Revenge is best served cold.
The two games saw Excretion take an aggressive stance. But the decisive blow was given in the second game. Although their opponent managed to get their hand on Aegis in the 37th minute, Oli and Mikoto showed no mercy and quickly encircled Execration. Shanks, Tino, Bdz, and Bob fell victim to Mikoto’s Puck, who’s been magnificent yet again.
3. Chronofest in Roshan’s pit (vs Team Spirit, lower bracket quarter finals)
Talon faced the champion of The International 10 for the second time in the lower bracket quarterfinals. Previously, both had cancelled each other in the group stage meeting on matchday 3.
Team Spirit played aggresively in game 1. Armed with the Zeus-Spectre combo, they managed to dominate from the early game. However, Talon then countered them in the next round, where they relied on the Treant Protector-Dragon Knight combo and played more patiently.
In the third game, Talon went tri-core taking Nature Prophet, Faceless Void, and Ember Spirit which proved crucial in the late game. Even though it was a seesaw battle at first, Talon’s 23savage had a clutch moment with a massive Chrono outside Roshan’s Pit at around 53 minutes.
Game. Set. Match.
4. Mikoto’s Storm Spirit bait (vs Shopify Rebellion, lower bracket semi final game 3)
Like Talon, Shopify Rebellion emerged as a surprise team in the Lima Major thanks to strong performances that advanced them to the lower bracket semi-finals. Although finishing second in DPC NA, the team with seasoned pros Cr1t, Abed, and RTZ, displayed solid teamwork throughout the competion.
Both teams had it rough in the first and second games. The first game was dominated by 23savage and Mikoto while the next game was all about Abed and Saberlight. Talon, however, proved to be the better side as the game entered the match points, thanks to their great mechanics.
In the final game, Shopify attempted to dominate early against Talon’s Storm Spirit-Spectre combo. But their struggle was futile. Their attempt to force Talon into a teamfight failed, particularly when they were baited by Mikoto’s Storm Spirit, which managed to escape with only a sliver of HP and ended in annihilation for Shopify.
