Team Liquid, fresh TI13 champions, and Gaimin Gladiators, the runner-up team at the pinnacle Dota 2 event of 2024, are bound for elimination rounds at their first tournament in the new season.
headline picture credits: Valve
Although they took the limelight last month at The International 2024, neither Team Liquid, who claimed the much-wanted trophy, nor Gaimin Gladiators, who came in second place in Copenhagen, were spared from roster shuffles in the event’s aftermath.
Liquid lost Neta "33" Shapira, who was their offlaner, captain and drafter at TI13, while Gaimin are starting the new season with a new carry after playing with Anton "dyrachyo" Shkredov for the past two years. Both teams welcomed aboard players who proved themselves to be some of the best in their roles.
New players, new chapter
For Gaimin is Alimzhan "watson" Islambekov, who has dominated the European leaderboard for the past few years and is regarded as one of the best caries in the scene. Liquid’s offlane has now Jonáš "SabeRLight-" Volek with whom the team has been acquainted from ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023, where they reached the top three with him standing in.
However, welcoming new players in key roles, comes more often than not, with time needed for readjusting. BetBoom Dacha Belgrade 2024 represents the first LAN tournament of the new competitive season for both teams and both were far from their TI form through the group stage matches.
Gaimin and Liquid started the $1,000,000 tournament by being seeded in different groups, but neither delivered a dominant performance. Liquid finished fourth in the round-robin group format with three draw scores and just one clean victory, while Gamin came in third with two victories, two draws, and a defeat.
Nonetheless, everyone who passed the group brawl started the playoffs stage in the upper bracket.
Tundra Esports
vs
Gaimin Gladiators
Gaimin got seeded against Tundra Esports and started the series with a high-tempo match imposed by an offlane Bloodseeker which had no issue in bringing a quick first win. They tried to replicate the same strategy in game two with a Nature’s Prophet carry, but that backfired and although they had the late game split push scenario covered, they found themselves outmaneuvered by Tundra’s offlane Visage and mid lane Earth Spirit. Tundra were able to secure three of their heroes from the previous match in game three and successfully repeated the feat to send Gaimin to elimination rounds.
Team Liquid landed in the lower bracket rounds after losing 0-2 to Team Falcons. The TI 13 champions started the series with a one hour long first match that had 36 kills split between the two sides only in the first 20 minutes. It was a bloodbath where Falcons held the lead through the laning stage, but lost it past the 20-minute mark, only to make a full comeback 30 minutes later.
Game two featured a late scenario as well. However, Falcons had Alchemist and Huskar on their side to seal the deal and move to the semifinals while sending Liquid to the lower bracket rounds.
BetBoom Dacha Belgrade 2024 Playoffs Day 2
Day 2 in the playoffs stage will have both Liquid and Gaimin fighting for survival at their first LAN of the new season. The elimination rounds are scheduled to take place in the second part of the day, while in the first half we will have the upper bracket semifinals being played. The action moves in the Sava Centar from Belgrade, Serbia, with all series being played in front of a live audience.
September 24 schedule
10:00 CEST - BetBoom Team
vsTundra Esports
13:30 CEST - Team Spirit
vs
Team Falcons
17:00 CEST - Aurora
vsGaimin Gladiators
20:30 CEST - Yakult's Brothers
vs
Team Liquid
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