Gaimin Gladiators has won the Asia-Pacific (APAC) Spring Split Qualifier, earning them their first Major. We will see them compete in the Spring Split Major this June.
Gaimin Gladiators has finally won a qualifier to a Major. This win feels like a validation they don’t need but deserve as they are a beast in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) South scene with now 8 Regional wins. They unfortunately always fail to qualify for the Majors this season, dropping to Tokyo Verdy Esports in the Fall APAC Qualifier and getting a third in the Winter APAC Qualifier. They are now the first APAC South team to qualify for the Major.
The APAC qualifier featured 4 teams, the top two teams of the APAC South and the APAC North.
- APAC South: Gaimin Gladiators and Meta Power
- APAC North: Tokyo Verdy Esports and DeToNator
This APAC qualifier format is newly introduced for the RLCS 2021-2022 as the championship expands into more regions. Furthermore, the other regions introduced were the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) region and Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) region.
In the Upper Bracket Final of the qualifier, Gaimin Gladiators knocked down DeToNator, earning them the Grand Finals slot. Tokyo Verdy Esports and DeToNator, two Japanese teams with a fierce rivalry squared off in the Lower Bracket Final. Detonator won the series convincingly and headed to set a revenge match against Gaimin Gladiators in the Grand Finals. This match-up has never yet been seen in the Grand Finals of APAC Qualifier.
Gaimin Gladiators Clutched the Game After a Bracket Reset
Gaimin Gladiators went into the finals with a Bracket Reset advantage- they only needed to win one series of Bo7. They kept a good fight but DeToNator's aggressive play weathered down the team. They won the first series with a 4:1, resetting the bracket.
Going into the next series, both teams showed just how capable they were. Alternatingly winning the matches, they managed to force a game 7. Gaimin Gladiators showed aggression, eager to win. They were head to head with 1:1 until they scored the winning goal in the last 30 seconds of the game.
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In an after-game interview, Abscrazy was asked about his feelings about being able to play on an international stage.
Honestly, it’s just one of my dreams come true. I've been wanting to play since I was small. It’s just unbelievable.
We will see Gaimin Gladiators at the Spring Split Major with this roster:
- Louis Christian "LCT" Thamrun
- Abhai "Abscrazy" Ponna
- Max "Maxeew" Ng
- Gabríel "OSM" Sindri Benediktsson (Coach)
This is a huge celebration but bigger things are also waiting ahead. Gaimin Gladiators is certainly going to attend the RLCS 2021-22 World Championship this August after successfully accumulating enough points in the Asia-Pacific South Ranking.
Tokyo Verdy Esports Secures Their Slot in World
A win for Gaimin Gladiators is also a win for Tokyo Verdy Esports. They are leading the APAC North Ranking with 3086 points, which secures them a spot in the RLCS 2021-22 World Championship. Their almost-confirmed attendance to the World was in danger during DeToNator's last run in the qualifier. The deToNator could have attempted to overthrow Tokyo Verdy Esports off the ranking by winning at least 6th place in the Major. That happened in another universe but in this one, Tokyo Verdy Esports can take a breath of relief and prepare for the World.
RLCS 2021-2022 Spring Split Major is Coming Soon
Spring Split Major will be held in London, England at the Copper Box Arena at the end of June 2022. Sixteen teams will compete for a $300,000 USD prize pool along with RLCS ranking points that will determine who gets to go to the World Championship. This will be the third and final Major of the year after Fall Split Major and Winter Split Major before heading to the World Championship in August 2022.
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