Title image courtesy of ESL
Gaimin Gladiators are uncontested Dota 2 warriors aiming at taking their 2nd consecutive Major title at ESL One Berlin Major.
Gaimin Gladiators are the hottest WEU and potentially international Dota 2 team competing right now.
One year ago, ESL One Stockholm Major marked not only their first Valve-sanctioned but also the LAN debut for many of their players. Ultimately, they took fourth place. But that would turn out to be just the beginning for this new team.
GG ended up with a direct invite to The International 11 thanks to their 10th-place rank in the DPC. They finished middle of the pack, a commendable 9-12th place finish out of 20 teams, and solidified their place in the competitive landscape as a team to keep your eyes on.
But it wasn't until a change in the post-TI shuffle that this team ended up defying expectations, in a positive way.
Gaimin Gladiators completed their roster by adding NA mid-lanner Quinn "Quinn" Callahan to their ranks, marking the first time he would compete for the Western European region. Quinn replaced Miroslav "BOOM" Bičan, who left the team immediately after they were eliminated at The International 2022 and joined Team Secret.
GG quickly moved to the top of conversations in the Dota 2 landscape. They took first place in the regional league play for DPC 2022-23 Tour 1 and followed it up with an undefeated run in the upper brackets to claim the Lima Major title.
One month later, they then followed up their Lima Major victory with a win in DreamLeague Season 19, defeating Team Liquid in the grand finals once again.
Not even a major, game-changing patch could overpower this team.
Dota 2 patch 7.33 is in its nascent stages and teams are still in the process of finding its secrets. The top 4 DreamLeague Season 19 teams are the only ones from the Berlin Major to have played official games on the new patch, which possibly has worked in Gaimin Gladiators' favor.
Regardless, this WEU team is once again on a roll.
After taking first place in their group at ESL One Berlin Major with a 5-3-0 game (13-3 series) record, GG cruised through the upper brackets undefeated so far.
Now they have a strong shot at joining the exclusive club of multiple Major championship titles.
Gaimin Gladiators are set to compete in the upper bracket finals tomorrow, May 6th at 15:35 against 9Pandas, where they will no doubt be seeking to emulate their Lima Major run and once again seize their moment of glory in the grand finals.
Gaimin Gladiators roster:
Anton “dyrachyo” Shkredov
Quinn “Quinn” Callahan
Marcus “Ace” Hoelgaard
Erik “tOfu” Engel
Melchior “Seleri” Hillenkamp
ESL One Berlin Major Playoffs
- Double-elimination bracket
- All matches except Grand Final are Bo3
- Grand Final is Bo5
ESL One Berlin Major Broadcasts
ESL One Berlin Major Prize Pool and DPC points
The points distribution and prize pool for ESL One Berlin Major will be split between the top eight finishers as follows:
1st place: $200,000 & 500 DPC points
2nd place: $100,000 & 450 DPC points
3rd place: $75,000 & 400 DPC points
4th place: $50,000 & 350 DPC points
5th/6th place: $25,000 & 300 DPC points
7th/8th place: $12,500 & 200 DPC points