Gaimin Gladiators Wins DreamLeague S20 to Claim Fourth Consecutive Tier 1 Title

In a remarkable chain of events within the 2023 competitive Dota 2 scene, Gaimin Gladiators has quietly emerged as the undisputed powerhouse as it secures its fourth consecutive tier 1 title by winning the DreamLeague Season 20. As the tournament progressed, it looked like Gaimin's winning streak was on the verge of being broken after it was punched down repeatedly, and also faced BetBoom Team in the grand final, a team that had already defeated it three times in a row. Nevertheless, Gaimin defied all odds to reach the grand finals and then beat BetBoom 3-2 in one of this year's most competitive grand finals. The four events that Gaimin has won this year are DreamLeague S20, DreamLeague S19, the Lima Major 2023, and the Berlin Major 2023.

Gaimin Gladiators vs BetBoom Team: Match recap and highlights

Recap

Game 1 saw an even laning phase with minimal kills for both teams. With Dragon Knight mid and offlane Beastmaster for Gaimin, the team attempted an early base push but failed, losing the teamfight and allowing BetBoom to gain the lead. As BetBoom was pulling away, Gaimin bounced back with a major teamfight win near the Roshan pit, where dyrachyo took on a low-odds man fight against opposing heroes and came out victorious. This moment flipped the game on its head, as Gaimin went on to win in 44 minutes.

In game 2, BetBoom won with a stronger roster that not only performed well in the laning stage but also had sustained damage output. All three cores won their lanes, and BetBoom was up by 6K networth barely 11 minutes into the game. Gaimin gained a glimmer of hope as it repelled the first enemy high ground push, but BetBoom quickly responded with another Aegis a few minutes later to win in 37 minutes.

In game 3, BetBoom annihilated Gaimin. Gaimin opted for a mid Dragon Knight and carry Shadow Fiend core combination that didn't work out at all. Gpk led the assault on Storm Spirit, assisted by other heroes, and found one kill after another. Gaimin needed time to buy items because its damage was low early on, so BetBoom rallied and won in 28 minutes, with 26 kills to Gaimin's two.

In game 4, Gaimin made a lot of movements in the early to mid portions to build up a lead, headed by Quinn's Storm Spirit. This time, BetBoom's heroes lacked damage, had a single target oriented lineup, and its itemization was also flawed, preventing it from fighting early on. A lost teamfighting did give Gaimin a scare, but the team quickly responded with another push, knowing it needed to conclude the game as soon as possible, and this time it was successful, recording a 37 minute triumph.

Game 5 witnessed one of the biggest outdrafts of the tournament, as Gaimin had a very strong laning lineup despite having no stuns. It appeared that BetBoom would need a miracle to win this game. Surprisingly, the squad handled the laning stage and resisted any assault from a Huskar, Medusa, and Broodmother core Gaimin draft for quite some time. A teamfight win for BetBoom at its tier 2 top tower actually ignited hopes for a comeback, but Gaimin remained calm and teamwiped BetBoom in another push to win in 34 minutes.

Highlights

Here are some highlights of the series.

As per popular Dota 2 statistician Ben "Noxville" Steenhuisen, Gaimin's record of winning four tier 1 events in a row is a first in the game's history.

The squad does not necessarily have a lot of superstar players or ones with large fan bases, but because of their consistently excellent play over the previous six months, many of them are gradually going to start amassing.

While key events like The International 12 and the Riyadh Masters 2023 are already in the bag for the team, it will aim to keep its winning run going as it heads to Bali for the year's third and final Major.

Meanwhile, after failing to gain more success with perhaps the most talented group of players in Eastern Europe, BetBoom eventually got its break in this tournament. The squad showed its laning ability to the maximum in S20, helping it finish second and secure a spot in the Riyadh Masters 2023.

Even Quinn "Quinn" Callahan admitted in the post-match interview that the team provided such a great challenge to Gaimin in the final, noting that this triumph was probably harder than the two Majors as well.

BetBoom Team will also be in Bali shortly, but it will have a far greater incentive to perform well than Gaimin since it badly needs Dota Pro Circuit points to remain in the top 12 standings and gain a direct invite to The International 12.