LGD fall short in TI13 regional qualifiers

It is the first time since The International 2012 (TI2) that LGD won’t make an appearance at the Dota 2 flagship tournament. 

China regional qualifiers for The International 2024 (TI13) are in full swing. There are two slots up for grabs, but for LGD Gaming, the battle is over.  Today’s opening series brought a rather exciting match between the former LGD star players Lu "Somnus" Yao and Yang "Chalice" Shenyi, now reunited under Team Turtle, and the new LGD roster. 

Both teams entered the TI13 regional qualifiers after a competitive hiatus. Somnus and Chalice took an extended break after last year’s TI and returned only weeks before this year’s qualifiers. LGD Gaming put their Dota 2 division on hold in March this year after a long trail of disappointing results. They brought back the players last month ahead of the Riyadh Masters regional qualifiers and managed to snatch a ticket to the Esports World Cup.

• Read also: All teams qualified for Riyadh Masters 2024

However, they couldn’t replicate the feat in the TI13 regionals. LGD were dropped to the lower bracket rounds by Azure Ray, who are now one series away from securing a spot at the most important tournament of the year. 

Team Turtle was LGD’s first and last opponent in the lower bracket rounds. The “old” LGD vs “new” LGD duel lasted only one hour, as Somuns and Co took down their former organisation in a quick 2-0. 

LGD GamingvsTEAM TURTLE

Chalice, who has been playing in the offlane role during his time with LGD and reached the TI finals day more than once, has now switched to the carry position. He played Razor in the first game versus LGD and along with Sommnus, who had a deathless performance on a mid Shadow Fiend, he carried Team Turtle to a crushing 31 minute victory. 

He took Dragon Knight in the safe lane for game two, with Razor still drafted by Team Turtle, but for  Zhou "Yang" Haiyang in the offlane. Game two went down even faster, with Team Turtle ending LGD’s dream in a dominating fashion.

While this will be the first TI since 2012 without LGD gracing the stage, Team Turtle are now two series away from making a glorious comeback after a one year break. Their opponent for the lower bracket semifinals will be decided in the G2 x iGvsKEV series. 

China will have its first team qualified for The International 2024 later today, so stay tuned, and for more match results and updates on the go don't forget to check out our Telegram channel.