The Riyadh Masters 2023 : Underdogs Dominate The Group Stages

The group stages for The Riyadh Masters 2023 are near their climax. During the play-in seeds, multiple teams were giving their peak performance. As the play-ins concluded, some teams advanced while most were eliminated. Most powerhouse teams struggled to keep on a notable performance in the group stages. However, a play-in team dominated their groups and is on the way to securing an upper-bracket seat at the tournament. Moreover, another underdog team dominated their groups, taking down titans like Tundra Esports, Team Aster and even Team Liquid.

Quest Esports Redeemed as Fan Favourites?

Going into The Riyadh Masters 2023, Quest Esports were in the limelight. The team had had some drama before the tournament and thus quickly gained a controversial reputation.

From being a Division II team, the team’s improvements were immense. A tour after getting promoted, Quest placed third in their region, qualifying for The Bali Major, where they placed fourth. However, shortly after the Major, the team parted ways with their newly recruited, Ammar "ATF" Al-Assaf, quickly gaining themselves a controversial reputation. Despite the player clearing the air surrounding him and the team, they were not out of the woods yet. The team lost most of its newfound fans, and the rest doubted they would not even make it far in the group stages as they lost one of their crucial players.

Quest qualified for the Riyadh Masters 2023 through the MENA qualifiers with ATF’s help. However, the player and the team parted ways due to contractual issues. Quest Esports proved all the doubters wrong by putting on a solid showing as soon as the tournament started. They tied the series against Gaimin Gladiators, and with two wins, four draws and no losses, Quest is leading the top seed in Group A. Although the team have some matches remaining, they have enough points for an upper-bracket seat in the playoffs.

BetBoom Team Dominates Group B

Unlike Quest Esports, BetBoom Team qualified for the group stages through their results at DreamLeague Season 20. As luck intervened, BetBoom Team became the last-minute replacement team for DreamLeague Season 20. Despite being a replacement team, BetBoom took their chance, showed a fantastic performance and placed in the runner-up spot, qualifying for The Riyadh Masters 2023.

At the Riyadh Masters, BetBoom showed a marvellous performance. The team decimated everyone in their group. Only losing against Team Secret recently, BetBoom is unstoppable in Group B. Although the team had a single series remaining, the team without a single team close to their results, BetBoom Team, secured their upper bracket spot.

The Group Stages for the Riyadh Masters will conclude on 24 July. After the group stages, the playoff stage will begin on July 25th. It will feature a double elimination bracket with the best of three series except for the grand finals. The grand finals series will be a best-of-five series.

Featured Image Souce: Twitter/@Gamers8GG_Ar