The Xu Mail hype ends here.
Another region bows out of the ESL One Berlin Major as Team Aster takes the fall. The Chinese juggernaut came to the second Dota 2 Major of 2023 with Sumail "SumaiL" Hassan as a last-minute stand-in. Despite the language barrier, they delivered an impressive performance and finished in the top 8 of the Berlin Major.
Team Aster's final series was against Team Liquid in the Lower Bracket. SumaiL pulled off a remarkable performance in the first game, securing multiple kills in the midlane. But the most exciting moment was Aster's Roshan play. They had used Underlord's Pit of Malice and Disruptor's Kinetic Field to stop Roshan from moving during his daytime switch. This gave Aster enough time to finish Roshan while an eager Team Liquid was waiting on the other side.
Despite the plays, Liquid showed why they were the back-to-back Western Europe champions. The team did their thing before Aster could figure out any solution. The series went 2-0 in favor of Liquid, ending Team Aster's run at the Berlin Major. This marks the final Chinese team to go out of the tournament.
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Goodbye, Xu Mail x Team Aster memes
Not only do we have to bid goodbye to Team Aster, but we also have to see the Xu Mail memes go. There have been continuous hype regarding the Pakistani star midlaner playing for a Chinese team. And after a short while, the community figured out a new nickname for SumaiL. While he was wearing the colors of Team Aster, SumaiL became Xu Mail.
The bizarre merge between the two worlds was more than exciting to watch. SumaiL and Team Aster was one of the most talked about teams during the event. Memes and content from the Chinese community were also shared on Reddit.
But with Aster's departure from the Major, the two parties would have to embark on separate ways. We can only hope for more epic crossovers like this in the future.
Team Aster finishes the Berlin Major in the top 8, bringing home $12,500 USD and 200 DPC points. On the other hand, Team Liquid advances to the next stage where Tundra Esports awaits.
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