China won the Gold Medal at the Asian Games 2023 Dota 2 finals after defeating Mongolia 2-1 in an exhilarating three-game series. The match started out with the Mongolians displaying a remarkable carry Dark Willow performance, a hero-role combo unheard of in the Dota 2 competitive scene which gave them a 1-0 advantage. Both teams had their strategies and win conditions defined for the next two games, and even though Mongolia had numerous chances to win 2-0 and 2-1, China came through in clutch situations with their wealth of Dota 2 experience to win the Asian Games inaugural Dota 2 event. The Mongolian athletes, meanwhile, took home the Silver Medal after an extraordinary journey in the event.
China vs Mongolia final at the Asian Games 2023: Match recap and highlights
Recap
In game 1, an interesting Dark Willow choice from Mongolia played a pivotal role. On the surface, Mongolia’s draft appeared weaker with Dark Willow and Templar Assassin as cores and China’s far stronger with Ember Spirit and Sven. It was an equal start with some kills traded, but as Mongolia got its hands on the initial items, it was all over for China. Mongolia mastered the map and teamfights, while China was unable to fight due to the intense damage done by its opponents, losing in 40 minutes.
In game 2, China drafted Phantom Lancer for Ame against a team that had few solutions for the hero late in the game. Mongolia, on the other hand, got off to a good start, with all three cores doing well. Chalice on Night Stalker struggled to get going in his lane, and Ame did not have the best lane as well. The game looked to be trending in Mongolia’s favor when China earned a major teamfight win, slowing down the speed of the game and giving Ame more room to farm. Both teams, however, got stronger on their cores, and the mid to late game saw an intense battle. Mongolia picked several items to counter Ame’s Phantom Lancer, but it was insufficient, with China’s other heroes also having a significant influence and the team winning in 49 minutes.
Game 3 was arguably one of the greatest of the competition. Mongolia chose powerful laning heroes, while China appeared poised to capture the game late with Phantom Assassin as the carry. Mongolia, as expected, took the lead after laning and pushed the tempo with Templar Assassin and Lifestealer. With some objectives down, it had a big networth advantage, but it was treading carefully given the stakes of the game, while China also held firm. It was a frantic late game with buybacks, Roshans, and heated teamfights, and China, with better teamfight positioning and damage output, managed to win it in 65 minutes.
Highlights
Here are some highlights of the series.
The inaugural Dota 2 event at the Asian Games ended on a high note, featuring an intense showdown where the winner remained uncertain until the very end.
Even though China was touted as the favorite to win, Mongolia surprised everybody by defeating teams like Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan to reach the grand final. Probably one of the most important factors that contributed to their success was the fact that they play a lot of competitive Dota 2 together.
Concluding the Dota 2 event at the Asian Games 2023, China emerged victorious with the Gold, Mongolia secured Silver, and Malaysia claimed the Bronze.
