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Nouns Ascend to Reign NA at The International 2023
Three teams - Shopify Rebellion, TSM and Nouns played on their home soil at The International 2023. However, after many upsets, it was an absolute surprise to see Nouns, the upcoming team, standing tall among the two titans of the region.
Credits: Valve
As the first lower bracket day had ended, both TSM and Shopify succumbed to the pressure of the main stage. Their results made Nouns the only team from the NA region that survived to tell the tale.
The Inter-Regional Eliminations
The first elimination day was not a pretty sight for NA Dota 2 fans. They had to witness their only teams battle on the main stage to stay alive in the tournament. As the day proceeded, TSM took a clean series against Shopify Rebellion, the regional top dog.
The team then advanced to their second lower-bracket series of the day, where they had to face Nouns, their regional nemesis.
The Series
Credits: Twitter.@nounsesports
Surprisingly, Nouns was not the underdog in their series against TSM on the International main stage. Moreover, the team came from the upper bracket, losing to Azure Ray. However, TSM had to enter the main stage through the lower brackets as they lost their seeding decider series against Virtus Pro.
Both teams had faced off multiple times in the regional matches. The last time they met, TSM lost, which prevented them from qualifying for The Bali Major.
The series between the two teams was intense and lengthy. Both teams made crucial misplays in both matches.
In game 1, Nouns had the early game lead due to their Earth Spirit mid being active since the start of the game. However, TSM forced some favourable fights from their opponents to extend the match.
As the game progressed, their opponents realised TSM’s intentions and went for objectives. Doing so, at 57 minutes, Nouns took game 1.
Game 2 was more chaotic, and it lasted longer than Game 1. In the end, despite Team Solo Mid’s best efforts, it didn’t go their way.
The Aftermath
Credits: Twitter.@GosuGamers
After the match, Nico "Gunnar" Lopez took an interview explaining what was going on in the team during those matches.
“ We tried to listen to Lelis a lot of the time, and then there are times we didn’t say a word.”
Reflecting on his teammate getting chased around the map in game 2, Gunnar said:
“ When they’re chasing Hector, at some point, we’re like, guys, can we save him? No one’s talking. Hector didn’t say a word. I tipped him because he was owning, and then we’re like, we can save him, and then he just died.”
He expressed the team was feeling each other’s vibes most of the time and only discussed how to take the initiative in fights before the skirmish started.
“ We have to talk about how to take the fights. I can go on the supports; we can take the fight this way, but once the fight breaks out, it’s just a lot of yelling, and everybody just clicks their spells.”
With their win, Nouns now secures a top-eight finish at The International 2023. Moreover, they have established themselves as one of the NA titans. They will go up against Gaimin Gladiators in the upcoming match to keep their International dreams alive.
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Featured Image Source: Twitter.@Nounsesports
