If there was still any doubt that Gaimin Gladiators was the team to beat in the 2022–2023 DPC Season, that has likely been erased with their win in the recently concluded Dota 2Berlin Major. The team beat Team Liquid 3–1 and got home $200,000 and 500 DPC points.
With this win, Gaimin Gladiators became the first Dota 2 team to not only win two consecutive majors but also did it while ending the group stage on top. Even more impressive was the playoffs run where they were undefeated during Lima Major and only lost one game in Berlin Major.
Grand Final
The grand final at Berlin Major was a rematch of what happened at Lima Major. This time, Team Liquid was complete and the tournament favorite Gaimin Gladiators expected to spark exciting games. However, Liquid had to climb from the lower bracket to reach the grand final.
The first game was Gaimin Gladiators setting the pace and showing everyone just how ready they were for the finals. Quinn "Quinn" Callahan had a really good performance on Pangolier with excellent assist from Marcus "Ace" Hoelgaard on Magnus. That loss didn't dampen the spirit of Liquid who proceeded to dominate Gaimin in the second game. Liquid had 45 total team kills against nine from Gaimin.
In the third game, Gaimin wasted no time and took the lead from the laning stage and didn't give it up for the win. Once again, it was Quinn who shined on his Puck with 12 kills, 10 assists, and zero deaths. The expectations were high for Liquid to tie the series, but Gaimin apparently wanted to close things out which resulted in a hero draft that Liquid had trouble dealing with. Again, it was Quinn, this time on Leshrac, helped by Anton "dyrachyo" Shkredov on Alchemist.
Go For the Record
With one major left, everyone wants to know if Gaimin can continue this domination and end the DPC season by winning all three majors. Of course, if they win the International 2023, then they'll hold a very difficult record to beat.
What do you think? Do Gaimin Gladiators have what it takes?
Dota 2 is available on PC through Steam.