Gaimin Gladiators vs Team Liquid: Liquid show no love for their Valentine’s opponents

The final few days of the BetBoom Dacha Dota 2 tournament are the most exciting ones as the best Dota 2 teams compete for glory. At stake is the glory of being the Champions but also a sizeable portion of the prize pool. The first match of the day was Team Liquid vs BetBoom, with the loser facing elimination. The winner would still have another chance to survive in the Dubai-based event. 

There was no love lost for

The series between Team Liquid and Gaimin Gladiators started off with a complete outdraft by Team Liquid. An unorthodox last pick ensured they had a strong landing phase and they were able to build on their draft. Read on to find out how the games went and have an understanding of the game progress if you missed out on watching an exciting series.

Despite having a team that could scale better into the late game Team Liquid seemed to have control over the game from the beginning. Playing the mid lane, Team Liquid's Nisha, on his Sniper had a relatively safe early game and an even safer mid-game. Crucial for this safety was his team's movement and ganks all over the map.

Gaimin's Ace was on the Timbersaw and despite no deaths in the early game, he wasn't completely unkillable in the late game. He was often caught out of position and as a result his team had to allow him to die while playing safe themselves.

For Gaimin Gladiators, there were ways for them to jump the Sniper, but they simply lost the lanes too hard. Picking Sniper against Puck gave Team Liquid a big advantage against one of the best mid-laners in the game right now.

Ultimately, Team Liquid simply built on their early and mid game dominance to win the first game and take a lead. It was a simple case of an outdraft but for Dota 2 fans it was already interesting to see if the teams would bounce back in the next game.

The second game saw Gaimin pick up an Enigma and Alchemist. Not really a great combination but they had mobility and lockdown in the form of Queen of pain and Slardar. They also had a Tuskar who dominates the gameplay with his skill set.

Team Liquid's playstyle was dominated by their draft which required them to burst down one hero. However, Gaimin Gladiator's playstyle required them to go through sustainable teamfights and longer duration events. The key reason for this was the presence of Enigma on the roster which always acts as a mental block for players when they are in the midst of an important teamfight.

Despite an Alchemist on the lineup, Gaimin Gladiators only managed a 3k lead by the 19th minute. Alchemist, was however, in a prime position to boost up into a very strong suit and the mid game is usually when Alchemist players shine. Gaimin utilized this timing on their roster to get as much map control, which they did manage to an extent.

Dyrachio went the Radiance build which felt like a wave pushing itemization. However, there seemed to be an overall lack of damage from the lineup in the next few teamfights. One of the biggest drawbacks of having an Alchemist on the team is that the networth lead often accumulates with the hero. In this game, there was a similar theme when Alchemist was the top networth but the next three were all from Team Liquid.

Team Liquid's draft came to bite them in the late game. Insania's Enchantress pick was something that has an abysmal win-rate throughout this tournament. And it lost yet another game as Enchantress seems to simply fall off in the late game.

Team Liquid's mid-game was strong but a late-game blackhole and an excellent positioning by Gaimin meant that they took a massive lead. The game slipped out of Team Liquid's hands after that fight and ultimately Gaimin was able to tie the series.

Enigma worked in Game 2. And Gaimin wasted no time in bringing it out again. However, this time, Team Liquid were prepared. The thing with Enigma is it dictates the game's pace and momentum.

Once your opponent know how you will approach the game, it can be something that they counter. The early game was relatively even with a lot of action. In fact, there were more than 12 kills by the 10 minute mark signaling a lot of landing phase action. Alchemist died thrice in the first few minutes with 33, trying his best to keep the action alive.

Ultimately, Team Liquid pulled ahead and they seemed to shine with their mid-game items.

Team Liquid's playstyle with their mobility, their save and their burst damage allowed them to maintain an insurmountable lead over their opponents. Ultimately, Gaimin Gladiators called GG and had to bow out of the tournament.

It was a bittersweet exit for Gaimin Gladiators whose fans expected a better performance after Game 2. However, despite putting up a valiant effort, they could not manage to survive through the lower bracket.

With this victory, Team Liquid advance to the next phase. They will face the winner of Azure Ray and Team Spirit in the next match.

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