The 10-year anniversary of Dota 2 could not have gone any better for the community. One of the fan-favorites, Gaimin Gladiators (GG) create history in Dota 2.
A Dota 2 Pro Circuit, better known as DPC season comprises three Major tournaments and two Minor tournaments. All of those earn you DPC points that end up being the measuring factor for the invited teams in The International. And this year, Gaimin Gladiators conquered it all.
The DPC 2023 season started with the Dota 2 Lima Major where Gaimin Gladiators suddenly set themselves as a force to reckon. And from there on, they spearheaded their charge with Quinn “Quinn” Callahan leading the way forward. After that, it was history.
The contributions of Quinn
Quinn is undoubtedly one of the best midlaners in the North American region. And he has been chasing esports glory for a long time now. To steady on that path, he joined the Gaimin Gladiators’ squad last year on December 7. With their midlaner Miroslav “BOOM” Bičan leaving in October, the boots had to be filled. And who is better than Quinn himself?
With Quinn at the helm, Gaimin Gladiators moved forward like an arrow bound for a target. And in this case, The International (TI). In their path, whatever came, GG made sure to do quick work of those. Be it a Major or a Minor, they won it all. Appearing in every single DPC tournament in the 2023 season, winning all of them creates a historic landmark in the Dota 2 chronology.
First stepping stone: Dota 2 Lima Major 2023
The first step in the conquer was to win the Dota 2 Lima Major 2023. And they started off in a dominant manner, topping their Group during the Group Stage. The Playoffs showed no difference. GG cleanly swept every single team winning against Team Aster, and Entity, followed by defeating Team Liquid twice to win the Major. The results were as follows:
- Upper-Bracket Quarterfinals: Gaimin Gladiator 2 – 0 Team Aster
- Upper-Bracket Semifinals: Gaimin Gladiators 2 – 0 Entity
- Upper-Bracket Final: Gaimin Gladiators 2 – 0 Team Liquid
- Grand Final: Gaimin Gladiators 3 – 0 Team Liquid
And with that, they started off the season with a clean sheet. Marking themselves as the best in the Western European region. But still, fans did not know what they were getting into. All the glory down the road, it was all a surprise.
DreamLeague Season 19
DreamLeague Season 19 was the first Minor of the season. And it started off in a similar fashion, with GG dominating the first Group Stage, followed by a second-place finish in Group Stage 2. Playoffs went a bit harsh compared to their last Major’s run. The team was sent packing to the lower bracket by Team Liquid. Only for them to bite back in the Grand Final, stopping them from winning any series in the further future.
Gaimin Gladiators win the Grand Final with a 3-2 series score and qualified for the upcoming Ryadh Masters set to begin in a few days. With the flying finish, GG did this season, it will be good to see their performance at the Ryadh Masters.
The solidification: Dota 2 Berlin Major 2023
The second Major tournament of the season was set in the heart of Europe. Berlin hosted this Dota 2 tournament with 18 teams participating for glory and DPC points. The story was once again the same as Lima Major. And as if it is destined to happen, Gaimin Gladiators once again face Team Liquid in the Grand Final of the Berlin Major. Making quick work of the Group Stage, they entered the Playoffs winning every series flawlessly until losing one game in the best-of-five series against Team Liquid in the Grand Final.
Following are Gaimin Gladiators’ Playoff scores:
- Upper-Bracket Quarterfinals: Gaimin Gladiators 2 – 0 Team Spirit
- Upper-Bracket Semifinals: Gaimin Gladiators 2 – 0 OG
- Upper-Bracket Final: Gaimin Gladiators 2 – 0 9Pandas
- Grand Final: Gaimin Gladiators 3 – 1 Team Liquid
DreamLeague Season 20
The last Minor tournament in the season, DreamLeague Season 20 saw a slight difference in the pattern. This time around, Gaimin Gladiators never made the top two in either of the Group Stages. However, during the Playoffs, they showed a masterclass performance. Leading through the lower bracket and defeating every single team, GG went up against BetBoom Team in the Grand Final. Winning that series 3-2, they were ready to make history.
Gaimin Gladiators complete the season with a bang in the Dota 2 Bali Major 2023
The final Major of the DPC 2023 season, Bali Major was the final stepping stone before the upcoming TI 12. With the top position up for grabs, both Team Liquid and GG entered the Major with a point to prove. Already appearing in the last four consecutive Grand Finals across all DPC tournaments, Gaimin Gladiators looked to make it five. And so they did, after grueling battles across Group Stage and Playoffs, Gaimin Gladiators moved to the Grand Finals. Marking them the first team in Dota 2 history to appear in three consecutive Major Grand Finals.
Once again, Team Liquid faces GG in the Grand Final looking to take revenge for all the humiliations in the whole season. But it was to no good, losing only one game to Liquid, Gaimin Gladiators clinch the title of champion in the Bali Major 2023. And, with that, they become the first team in history to clean-sweep a whole Dota 2 Pro Circuit season.
Impact of the New Frontiers update
In a closed interview with the veteran Dota 2 guide-maker, Torte de Lini, he shared a few valuable insights. According to him, the current patch favored Quinn a lot helping him win all this glory. According to him,
I am a big fan of both his mentality and growth as a player. I’ve met him a few times voer the years. I definitely like how Gaimin is doing as a new team. And I think that Quinn is a heavy reason for their success.
He also added,
I think the patch also heavily serves his hero pool, which already builds upon someone who is currently considered as one of the best midlaners in NA and Dota 2. He has been like that in Pubs all the time. Now it shows on his performance as well. An experience player, most of all a NA player doing so good outside NA.
He also states that this performance of Quinn outside NA inspires a lot of the Dota 2 community in the region. According to Torte, it is about grinding to become the best and finding the right group of players to kick it off.
Such a dominating display across the whole DPC season shows how much both Quinn and the whole team of Gaimin Gladiators have grown. And it is simply a matter of time until they pounce on the upcoming TI 12’s Aegis of Immortals. It is going to be worth the wait with the upcoming TI-themed update that will be coming to Dota 2 in September.
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