Cover-Credits:
Gaimin Gladiators continues its streak of success in 2023 by claiming another title in the form of BetBoom Dacha. In the grand final of this LAN event held in Armenia, Gaimin not only had competitive drafts but also demonstrated a level of gameplay superiority, both in terms of laning and teamfight execution, that far surpassed its opponents. The team won 3-1 in the grand final against TSM and even in the third game that it lost, it became overzealous and made unwarranted moves, leading to a comeback victory for TSM. Gaimin, the most successful team of the year so far, has won its sixth tournament victory thanks to this win at BetBoom Dacha.
Gaimin Gladiators vs TSM: Match recap and highlights
Recap
In game 1, Gaimin benefited from a stronger laning stage draft. TSM took down Ace's Razor three times in the opening six minutes, but it was the most damage the team could inflict on the opponents throughout the game. All three Gaimin cores had a lot of farm and dealt massive damage. TSM attempted to engage but was unable to survive for long due to stuns being restricted. Gaimin's precise game one effort led to TSM tapping out in just 25 minutes.
In game 2, Gaimin chose Lifestealer for dyrachyo again - a hero who hasn't been picked in the current patch a lot. TSM got out to a stronger laning start this game, with Kasane on Death Prophet and Timado on Bloodseeker enjoying solid starts. After the laning stage, both sides resorted to farming, bringing the game to a standstill. Initially, the teamfights were fairly equal as both teams scored important kills and then backed off. However, dyrachyo developed into a beast on Lifestealer and was easily able to grab the lead for his side. TSM was able to kill a hero or two in each teamfight, but they began to lose the damage essential to win teamfights and so lost in 41 minutes.
In game 3, TSM picked up comfort heroes on almost all of its players. While Gaimin played well in the mid and the offlane, on the other hand, dyrachyo was too aggressive on Bristleback, getting carried away by the tank potential of the hero. Still, at 21 minutes, Gaimin held a 10k advantage with Ace leading the way on Brew Master and the team appeared to be closing the game, but a series of more aggressive moves, which were not required, followed, giving TSM time to recover. TSM, with Kasane on Lycan and Timado on Slark leading the way, successfully got Mega Creeps. Gaimin held its own for a while, but TSM won after 50 minutes thanks to a stronger late game draft.
In game 4, Gaimin showcased remarkable precision and avoided a repeat of the mistakes from the third game. The team moved fast and found objectives after selecting Ace Brew Master once more and providing Quinn Leshrac with assistance from a support Io. TSM lacked damage early on and could only watch its structures crumble before calling 'GG' in just 24 minutes.
Highlights
Here are some highlights of the series.
It was an impressive tournament showing for Gaimin, as it only conceded three games out of a total of 14. Even the defeats against TSM in the grand final and the loss to Nigma Galaxy during the group stage could have been easily avoided. So it is clear that Gaimin is back to full strength ahead of DreamLeague Season 21.
TSM, on the other hand, showed strength and promise throughout this tournament despite entering it as an underdog. The team lost in the first round of the upper bracket playoffs to Gaimin, but made a solid run in the lower bracket with three 2-0 victories.
In the absence of TSM's coach from the event, a lot of credit goes to its carry Enzo "Timado" Gianoli who took on the role of drafting and offered some strong drafts. As BetBoom Dacha comes to a close, Gaimin takes home $150,000 USD as the winner while TSM wins $62,500 as runner-ups.
