In the Western European qualifiers for Dota 2’s The International 2023, unexpected teams have emerged victorious while established powerhouses have faltered. In the lower bracket finals, Luna Galaxy and Quest Esports, two young teams, faced off against each other, with Quest securing the region’s final spot at TI12.
Quest Esports stood out among the qualifiers’ teams as they began the 2023 season in division two. Despite facing setbacks, they fought their way to division one but narrowly missed out on attending the Berlin Major after a tiebreaker series against OG.
Following this disappointment, Quest made changes to their roster, bringing in Ammar “ATF” Al-Assaf as their offlaner. However, contractual issues led to ATF’s departure just as the team started showing promise, finishing fourth at the Bali Major.
With little time left until the TI12 qualifiers, Quest recruited Tobias “Tobi” Buchner as their new offlaner. This last-minute roster change raised concerns about team chemistry and whether they could perform well together.
Tobi became Quest’s third offlaner in 2023, a position that had been a source of instability for the team. However, the former Entity offlaner proved to be exactly what Quest needed, and they entered the qualifiers with a decent bracket position.
Despite a challenging start, Quest found themselves in the lower bracket early on after losing to Luna Galaxy in the second round. This meant they had to face formidable opponents like OG and Secret, two of the most prominent teams in the qualifiers.
Nevertheless, Quest displayed exceptional skill and determination, defeating these formidable opponents in two intense three-game series. They eventually met Luna Galaxy again in the finals, but this time, Quest was prepared and emerged victorious, securing the last available seat for the Western European region at TI12.
Starting the year in the second division, Quest’s roster, filled with promising talent, will now have the opportunity to compete on Dota 2’s most prestigious stage later this year.
Source: DOTESPORTS
