Gaimin Gladiators are poised for a Major grand slam

Photo from Gaimin Gladiators | Edited by Dave Bernasibo, Esports INQ

If you’ve been following the Dota 2 esports scene lately, you’d be familiar with one team name recently—Gaimin Gladiators. This European Dota 2 team has been leading the Dota 2 professional scene ranks, having won all major league tournaments, and are two-thirds on their way to a Valve Major grand slam. 

Looking back at The International 11, the Gaimin Gladiators made an early exit in the playoff round. Losing to fellow European team OG, the gladiators bowed out on day 2 of the TI11 playoffs, securing a 9-12th place finish. This year, they’re on their way to making the Dota 2 professional stage their personal arena. Let’s take a trip down the Gladiators’ route towards their (possible) third Major win.

The Lima Major

Gaimin Gladiators dominated the Lima Major from the very beginning. After finishing with an 11-5 record, the European team was guaranteed an upper-bracket spot for the playoffs. 

Screenshot from Liquipedia

The playoffs showed a Gaimin Gladiators team of a different caliber. Sweeping through the upper bracket without dropping a single game, they were an inch away from their first major win. The team would face off against fellow European team Liquid in the final series, one of the many times the two teams would clash together in the course of Gaimin’s champion streak. 

Screenshot from Liquipedia

Gaimin Gladiators swept Team Liquid off their feet with an astounding 3-0 victory in the Lima Major. It helped that the team played Lina in all three games, which had a 61% pick win rate during the tournament, thus the Major being jokingly called the Lina Major.

This would propel the team towards their journey to winning back-to-back league tournaments, save for consistently finishing top 3 in their Dota Pro Circuit runs.

Berlin Major

The Gladiators also dominated the Berlin Major from the very beginning with a 13-3 record by the end of the group stage. They were once again reserved a slot in the upper bracket, where they proceeded also to dominate. The team ended their upper bracket run lossless, despite the rocky foundations of the game brought about by the New Frontiers patch.

Screenshot from Liquipedia

The team would then face off against Team Liquid, again, in the grand final of the Berlin Major. This time, Team Liquid managed to pierce through Gaimin’s tough offensive defenses and secured a single win in a BO5 series. In the end, Gaimin Gladiators emerged victorious, leaving Berlin with a 3-1 win.

Screenshot from Liquipedia

Final words

Aside from dominating Valve Major events, Gaimin Gladiators have also been seeing gold in several third-party tournaments. The team has dominated the Dreamleague for the past two seasons, taking the championship trophies for seasons 19 and 20.

Screenshot from Liquipedia

With this winning stride, the team is left with one final Major to conquer, the Bali Major which opened today. Pressure is surely building up within Gaimin’s ranks, as the eyes of both fans and fellow teams are on them. The question now is— will they falter in the presence of pressure, or will they rise and punctuate their TI12 journey with a Major trifecta?

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