Team Liquid’s Performance At DreamLeague Season 24 Has Been Underwhelming
It’s been a rough week for The International 2024 (TI13) Champions Team Liquid after they struggled at DreamLeague S24. Their fans certainly were expecting better, especially since this is one of their first tournament appearances since their historic TI13 victory.
Aydin “Insania” Sarkohi (Image credit: Valve)
Team Liquid at DreamLeague Season 24
Looking back at Team Liquid’s performance in the group stages, Team Liquid’s Group Stage 1 wasn’t too bad, with several clean sweeps against mediocre squads. However, more bafflingly was the fact that they lost to BetBoom Team, which had undergone a massive roster overhaul during the post-TI13 roster shuffle.
Nevertheless, their first group stage performance was sufficient to let them advance into the second group stage.
The Struggle worsens for Team Liquid
It was here where we truly see how Team Liquid pale in comparison to its other rivals that competed in TI13. All in all, they lost all three best-of-three series versus Team Falcons, PARIVISION, and even Team Spirit.
Analyzing these games by Team Liquid, it’s evident that they lost something crucial that put them among the best Dota 2 teams this season. Notably, we see several unusual drafts from Liquid that stray away from their typical playstyle. While being adventurous in drafting could be beneficial, it only works when the team can pull off such unorthodox hero line-ups.
Team Liquid without 33
Perhaps this downhill performance is highly linked to the departure of Neta “33” Shapira’s from the team. 33 is renowned for being one of the most versatile offlane players, having won two Internationals with two different teams.
It’s a testament to how 33 impacted and contributed to Team Liquid’s success that they managed to escape the second-place curse. Compared to 33’s versatility, it made Team Liquid’s captain, Aydin “Insania” Sarkohi’s drafts look like they’re randomed.
Only the top four teams in group stage 2 will advance to the DreamLeague S24 Playoffs, so Team Liquid’s situation is very dire at the moment. With the Eastern European powerhouses dominating the groups, notably PARIVISION and BetBoom Team, it’s looking difficult for Liquid to stay in DreamLeague S24.