Team Liquid will head to the Grand Finals after sweeping through Gaimin Gladiators 2:0 in The International 2024 finals.
Things are really heating up as The International 2024 is nearing its thrilling conclusion. After two successive sweeps in the lower brackets (Team Falcons 2:0 Cloud9 and Tundra 2:0 Xtreme Gaming), all eyes were turned towards the upper brackets to see which team would become the first grand finalists for the event.
As exciting as this series would be, it was intensified by the fact that it was set between two of the biggest Dota rivalries that have built up over the last few years – Team Liquid and Gaimin Gladiators.
There has been only 1 change in rosters between the two squads --exchanging Ludwig "zai" Wåhlberg for Neta "33" Shapira - since the 2023 season. The overall winning odds for playoffs seem to be pretty even 4:3 record in favor of TL. But when GG win, it seems to happen in an utter stomp, and when it matters most (0:5 in favor of GG in grand finals) – 2:0 in the upper bracket at TI2024, 3:0 in Riyadh Masters grand finals, 3:1 in Bali Major, 3:1Berlin Major, 3:2 DreamLeague Season 19 and 3:0 at Lima Major.
"I don't get discouraged at all, if I have to play them 1000x I'll do it" ~ Blitz post-draft interview Game 1
For this series, it only took two games to play (and beat) them.
Team Liquid![]()
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Gaimin Gladiators
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Gaimin GladiatorsMatches for each of these two teams are always fast and furious – speed is always the name of the game and rarely do we get to see a late-game meta from either. Until this series Game 1.
Team Liquid went with a Doom first pick, a real comfort hero for 33 who has had continued success with a 100% win rate so far at the event. GG went with Clinkz for Anton "dyrachyo" Shkredov, a hero not really seen in competitive matches since about three patches ago.
Team Liquid were really on top of things this game and GG were the ones bleeding out – even when they had the Aegis. They were able to kill the heroes before Gaimin were able to even group up and just cut them down early. But they just couldn't push quickly. Past 35 minutes and GG tends to lose, and this game lasted 46 minutes. This game was long, impressive, and really tight for Team Liquid as they take the first step and first game towards conquering their demons.
The second game 33 had a terrible start on Visage but that didn't matter much as Team Liquid smelled blood and went hunting. Liquid seemed to have taken the game with ease, proving that they have in fact overcome Gaimin Gladiators.
Team Liquid became the first grand finalists at TI2024.
Gaimin Gladiators will continue to battle for a spot at the Grand Finals in the lower brackets with a guaranteed top 3 finish.
The action continues with one more lower-bracket elimination series
Team Falcons
vs
Tundra Esports at 19:00 CEST
The International 2024 Playoffs
The International 2024 is finally here and GosuGamers has you covered with a comprehensive, one-stop guide to all things TI13 to keep you in the know.
Ten days of glorious Dota 2 action will kick off on Wednesday, September 4th with the Group Stage in Copenhagen, Denmark, and continue through Sunday, September 15th. Sixteen will begin the journey, and only one will seize the Aegis of Champions and the lion's share of the $2+ MILLION prize pool.
For more match results and updates on the go don't forget to check out our Telegram channel.
