Best Dota 2 Teams in 2023 – Review & Analysis

Do you want to see which are the best Dota 2 teams in 2023? Let’s dive into each squad and analyze its results.

For a lot of reasons, 2023 was a wild year for eSports. Dota 2 did not get as many changes as Counter-Strike, but Valve made a very important decision a few months ago to cancel the DPC, which means that 2024 will be extremely interesting to follow.

With that said, we are about to take a step back and review the top Dota 2 teams in 2023. The end of the ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023 means that the last big Dota 2 tournament for 2023 is over. Of course, this was just one of the many events we had the chance to watch, so let’s take a look at the teams that stood out in 2023.

1st Place – Team Spirit

Even though the squad did not take part in the last big tournament, Team Spirit deserves to win first place when comparing the best Dota 2 teams in 2023. Even though many people probably expected to see Gaimin Gladiators here, TS won the most important events of the year.

To be fair, the first half of 2023 was not that good for Yatoro and co. While Team Spirit was always one of the big contenders for every event, the squad wasn’t able to show its prowess. However, things changed once the Riyadh Masters 2023 arrived. 

Despite being the underdogs, Team Spirit ripped through their competitors and secured first place. This was also the most profitable event of the year because the Eastern European squad won $5M.

After this victory, TS also won DreamLeague Season 21, followed by The International 2023. Even though TI’s prize pool was not as impressive as before, this is the most prestigious Dota 2 tournament, and TS won it for the second time.

2nd Place – Gaimin Gladiators

When analyzing the best Dota 2 teams in 2023, we must address Gaimin Gladiators. There is no arguing that the team from Western Europe was among the most impressive names this year. In fact, players broke all records by winning numerous events and reaching the Grand Final of others. Speaking of finals, GG came 2nd after Azure Ray at ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023.

Besides this impressive tournament, one of the best teams in Western Europe achieved a lot of other impressive results. Starting with winning The Lima Major 2023, GG also won DreamLeague Season 19, ESL One Berlin Major 2023, DreamLeague Season 20, The Bali Major 2023, and BetBoom Dacha. Besides lifting those trophies, one of the best Dota 2 teams in 2023 also came 2nd at The International 12 and 4th in Riyadh. 

If Gaimin Gladiator repeats its amazing results in 2024, it will surely go down in history as one of the best Dota 2 teams of all time. With that said, the squad will have a lot of work to do because many other names will try to stand out.

3rd Place – Team Liquid

The third name that must be on the list of the best Dota 2 teams of 2023 is Team Liquid. Despite the fact that TL was unable to win that many tournaments, the team was always among the top 3. In fact, the battle between them and Gaimin Gladiators was fierce. Moreover, the two Dota 2 powerhouses allowed us to watch some of the best games we’ve seen in years.

If we take a look at Team Liquid’s results in 2023, we can see it did really well in every event it was a part of. If we put aside The International 12, Liquid got 2nd place at the Riyadh Masters 2023. The team also finished second in Lima, Berlin, and DreamLeague Season 21. 

Despite the fact that zai is no longer a part of Team Liquid, the club looks really dangerous and will continue to be one of the big names in the Western European Dota 2 scene.

4th Place – LGD Gaming

When talking about the top Dota 2 teams in 2023, we also need to address LGD Gaming. However, what’s important to realize is that there is a massive difference between them and the top 3. There is no arguing that the top teams in China are on another level, but they haven’t been as dominant as the European giants.
LGD Gaming did not win any tournaments in 2023. In fact, the squad kind of disappointed its fans with some of the results. However, there were several events where the team played well. 

The main problem that LGD Gaming has is that it changes its roster all the time. The team has gone through a lot of players until it finally found the successful formula. Sadly, we are not sure if this will be enough in 2024 because there are several other big Chinese Dota 2 teams, such as Xtreme Gaming and Azure Ray. The latter even won ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023, the first international tournament won by a Chinese squad in a while.

5th Place – Azure Ray

The last place for the top Dota 2 teams in 2023 goes to Azure Ray. We thought a lot about which team to add here. Originally, our idea was to put Tundra Esports, but the team changed its entire roster, so there is no point in it. On the other hand, Azure Ray finished 2023 with an impressive victory at ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023, despite changing 3 of its core players before the tournament.

It’s worth knowing that Azure Ray was one of the new teams for 2023. It was created by some of the biggest Chinese Dota 2 superstars, but most of them left the squad. We expect them to join Xtreme Gaming because Ame, one of the world-class carries, decided to come back to the professional scene.