ESL One Raleigh: Talon and Shopify Mathematically Eliminated

The action at ESL One Raleigh continues, with the group stage chugging along as we get closer to the playoffs. Yesterday, Nigma Galaxy put on a shocking display of brilliance to go 4-0 in maps, but fell back down to earth today after losing four straight games. This brings them down from first to fourth in their group — but fortunately for them and their fans, it literally couldn’t get worse from here.

This is because both Shopify Rebellion and Talon Esports are now mathematically eliminated from Group A, making them the first two casualties of the tournament thus far. They have both gone 1-7 in maps, which is hardly surprising given their respective rosters’ strengths relative to the shark-infested waters at Raleigh.

PARIVISION Enjoy the ESL One Buff

There just seems to be something with PARIVISION and ESL One tournaments. They won ESL One Bangkok last year in highly convincing fashion, and now they’re at it again here at ESL One Raleigh. A flawless second day in the group stage seems them shoot up to first place in their group, just ahead of Eastern European compatriots Team Spirit.

They could definitely make it back-to-back ESL One victories here given their overall performance in the early goings. It’s been a while since they last won a premier Dota 2 tournament, anyway, so now would be a great time for them to solidify their position once more as one of the best teams in the world. They’re going to want to do that after their disappointing eighth place finish at FISSURE Universe Episode 4, too.

Dashed American Hopes

As mentioned, Shopify Rebellion are now gone from the tournament, before even seeing a third day of play. This is sad news for the home crowd at Raleigh, because while the roster doesn’t have a single North American player in it, Shopify still hails from the region and is coached by Kanishka “BuLba” Sosale.

Well fought ⚔️

GGWP @TSpirit_Dota2 #ESLOne pic.twitter.com/Bv9pKLyYaF

— Shopify Rebellion (@ShopifyRebels) April 8, 2025

Their early elimination is nothing strange at all, as they’re not exactly one of the stronger teams in the field and have not had any real notable results this entire season. If I’m being honest, it’s possible that this might be the last we ever see of this roster, or even the name Shopify Rebellion in Dota 2. At least Jonathan “Bryle” de Guia and Quinn “Quinn” Callahan are still in the running, for those that want to see North America succeed.

And while Talon Esports suffered the same fate as them this tournament, I can’t really say the same about them with regards to their lineup. Maybe we’ll see a change or two, but considering they’re still the best Southeast Asia has to offer, I think they’ll stick around for the International 2025 qualifiers at least.

Tidebound Stay Afloat, But Only Just

Aside from the North Americans at ESL One Raleigh, I’m sure that Team Tidebound is another fan favorite among the participants. They are basically Wings Gaming resurrected, after all, which is always nice to see given their history and how beloved that team was back in the day. So it would also be nice to see them make the playoffs here — which is still possible, but a tall task nonetheless.

They currently sit in Group B with a 2-4 record in maps, which has them tied with BetBoom Team and HEROIC for joint fourth place right now. And with only one series remaining for each of these three squads, Tidebound are going to want a 2-0 result tomorrow as much as possible. The problem is, they’ll be up against Team Falcons, who are 5-1 in maps right now and are looking like the most likely winners of the group.

It’s a good thing that they dodged a 0-2 loss versus Tundra Esports today, thanks to a stunning performance by captain Zhang “Bach” Ruida as Magnus in game 2. He had an awful start to the laning phase because Tidebound decided that drafting offlane Magnus into carry Monkey King was a good idea, but he didn’t let it get him down.

Bach bounced bach, if you will, in a big way in the mid game, creating hugely impactful plays with Reverse Polarity (R) when Tidebound needed them the most. Had he not recovered so well, Tidebound would absolutely be staring at a 1-5 record and possible elimination. Instead, they’ll have a chance to at least make the lower bracket — though it will partially depend on how BetBoom and HEROIC perform tomorrow.

Hopefully they can upset Falcons on the final day of the group stage, to give Chinese Dota fans (and Wings Gaming fans alike) something to look forward to.