Playoffs of the Dota 2 Bali Major have started. Fans around the world are watching and there's no doubt that most eyes are on Gaimin Gladiators. That's because the team moved to the upper bracket semifinal of the tournament after defeating beastcoast. This means that the team is much closer to winning the tournament again.
Gaimin Gladiators didn't end the group stage on top but it was enough to qualify them for the upper bracket. In the first two majors, the team had always finished at the top of their group.
In the first game of their match against beastcoast, it appeared that Gaimin Gladiators was not performing as expected. After all, beastcoast took control of the game early and didn't let go of their lead. Actually, Gaimin Gladiators got dominated for the entire game and it ended with beastcoast winning, which had 38 team kills against eight from Gaimin Gladiators.
With beastcoast gaining momentum, Gaimin Gladiators would put a stop to it. In the second game, they slowly applied pressure until the mid-game where they would grab the lead and never let go. With the win, Gaimin Gladiators tied the series 1-1.
In the third game, Gaimin Gladiators once again took control early and then slowly but surely widened the gap and eventually closed the series 2-1.
As the victor, Gaimin Gladiators secured a spot at the upper bracket semifinals. Their opponent is whoever wins in the Quest Esports versus Team Aster match.
A Good Try
The South American team beastcoast is not yet eliminated and will face Shopify Rebellion in a do-or-die match. Even if they are eliminated, they've done one thing that most teams haven't in the past majors: get one win against Gaimin Gladiators. For Lima Major and Berlin Major, Gaimin Gladiators had swept their opponents leading to the grand final.
The Other Semifinal
For the other upper bracket semifinal, Team Liquid is going against BetBoom Team. The pressure is on Liquid to win since they've been denied the championship twice by Gaimin Gladiators on both times. It would be interesting to see Liquid facing Gaimin Gladiators in the finale.
What was your favorite matchup so far in Bali Major?
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