Cover-Credits:
Gaimin Gladiators and Team Liquid were undoubtedly the biggest rivals in 2023 and went up against one another several times throughout last year. These two teams once again had a face-off on the first day of BetBoom Dacha 2024 Dubai in group A and Gaimin Gladiators secured the win against Team Liquid in a 2-0 series. Gaimin Gladiators snowballed in both of the games and showcased its world-class gameplay, trampling over Liquid.
As one of the few teams to undergo no roster changes post The International 2023 (TI12), Gaimin Gladiators has surely demonstrated why it stuck with its roster.
Gaimin Gladiators Wins the El Classico of Dota 2
On 4th February, Gaimin Gladiators and Team Liquid went head-to-head in a best-of-two series in the Group A games.
Recap:
Game 1 started with Team Liquid claiming the first blood but Gaimin soon came back with a return kill on Michael "miCKe" Vu’s Templar Assassin. Both the teams soon started to trade a few kills but the tides soon turned against Liquid after a disastrous team fight while contesting Roshan at the 21st-minute mark.
Gaimin Gladiators kept the momentum up after this fight and then started their siege attempt with the help of Quinn "Quinn" Callahan’s Death Prophet, Marcus "Ace" Christensen’s Broodmother buffed by the damage amplification from Melchior "Seleri" Hillenkamp Vengeful Spirit with Vladamir’s Offering. Team Liquid was unable to stop this siege attempt from Gaimin Gladiators, and eventually conceded defeat at the 28th-minute mark.
In game 2, Gaimin Gladiators kept the momentum up from the first game and engaged in a series of back-and-forth for the first 10 minutes of the game. However, at the 10th-minute mark, Gaimin Gladiators emerged victorious in a team clash and traded in a hero for three Team Liquid heroes. Due to this, Gaimin Gladiators was successful in claiming most of the map and secured a major gold advantage over Team Liquid, being up by 13K gold at 22 minutes.
At the 26th-minute mark, Gaimin Gladiators was able to punish Team Liquid by killing miCKe’s Medusa after a wonderful Nether Swap from Seleri’s Vengeful Spirit. The 13K lead soon turned into a 25K lead at the 28th-minute mark and Gaimin Gladiators continued its onslaught. The game eventually ended at the 32nd-minute mark despite the numerous attempts of defense by Team Liquid.
Here are some highlights from the series:
Both teams have a known history of rivalry and were up against each other in several tournament finals, with Team Liquid always seeming to emerge at the top. It should also be noted that this is not the first time Gaimin got a head start at a tournament like this. Back at the Lima Major 2023, Gaimin beat Team Liquid with a clean sweep in a best-of-three series but was no match against Team Liquid in the finals. The question remains if this time it’s gonna be different and if 2024 will be Gaimin’s year.
