Team Spirit manager Dmitry "Korb3n" Belov summarized the team's performance in the group stage of Riyadh Masters 2024 in Dota 2. He also speculated on the outcomes of the upper bracket playoffs' first matches.
"I can't highlight a tournament favorite based on the group stage. It feels like none of the teams have found the winning formula in either heroes or map movements. Stacking and map pressure work well, but if the opponent didn't mess up the draft, and you didn't win the lanes decisively, it continues until the first failed team fight."
"I wouldn't make the Falcons clear favorites in their first match. Xtreme is quite unpredictable. If you draft poorly against them, they will punish you. Meanwhile, the Falcons showed in the group stage that they are very beatable. Let it be XG."
"Entity plays great. They have No[o]ne and Kataomi in excellent form and their own tricks. But Gaimin Gladiators are too inconvenient for them, so GG."
"I won't predict our pair. Our and Liquid's form is volatile. OG is unlucky with their opponent. Tundra has systematically punished them in all qualifiers this half-year. Let it be Tundra. Overall, the playoffs look like all games in the upper bracket will be 2-1 with tough battles. Hopefully, after the first day, we can finally identify the favorites," expressed Dmitry "Korb3n" Belov.
Team Spirit advanced to the playoffs from second place in group A. The team entered the upper bracket, where they will face Team Liquid. The match is scheduled for 19:00 MSK on July 16.
Riyadh Masters 2024 runs from July 4 to 21 in Saudi Arabia. Participants are competing for $5 million. BB Team from Eastern Europe also competes in the tournament, barely making it to the lower bracket playoffs.