Dota 2 history was made at the Bali Major: The Gaimin Gladiators became the first team in the modern history of the Dota Pro Circuit to secure three Major Wins throughout the season. Not only that, Quinn “Quinn” Callahan and his team have lifted their third consecutive trophy by defeating Team Liquid in their third Grand Final – another new record on the Dota 2 scene.
Gaimin Gladiators dominate against Liquid
At the start of the season, after a quick rebuild that involved bringing in Quinn from North America, the Gaimin Gladiators quickly became a team to beat in Dota’s strongest region – Western Europe. The team has yet to win a single regional DPC tour this year, but they are almost unstoppable in LAN events.
After a perfect run through the playoffs in Lima, Gaimins team won their first major tournament with a 3-0 sweep over a depleted Liquid lineup. Then another trophy was added to the team’s trophy collection at the Major in Berlin in May after the team went almost undefeated to claim their second consecutive title, this time against a Liquid team playing at their peak where they handed the Gaimin Gladiators their only loss in the playoffs.
Amidst doubt, we fought back. Like David against Goliath, we conquered the giants. In the arena, skill and experience prevailed. Today, history was made: three major champs in a row, five Tier 1 wins. Though we are not invincible, our strength knows no bounds.
Thank you for your… pic.twitter.com/Bt3XKPEZrI
— GG | Gaimin Gladiators ⚔️ (@GaiminGladiator) July 9, 2023
Before the Bali Major, the Gaimin Gladiators were under no pressure as they had already qualified for The International this year. However, the team did not change their approach and entered with the same fighting spirit they started the season with.
Crazy stuff honestly. Super grateful for my team and all the people who support me behind the scenes. I'd be nothing without
— Quinn Callahan (@ccncdota2) July 9, 2023
“We just enjoy the game,” Anton “dyrachyo” Shkredov said before the event. “We just win our games and we will try to do the same at TI. We will try to win every tournament and do our best to prepare the same way we did before we were on this path. I don’t think about historical things or any curses for successful teams.”
Making a piece of Dota history
For 2023, Gaimin Gladiators have now taken home three DPC Major titles and two DreamLeague wins, picking up four of those wins in the Grand Final against Liquid. This time, Liquid only managed to win a single game, while Gaimin dominated most of the Series with clean communication and good timing.
While the Gaimin Gladiators’ win is historic, OG has also managed something similar before when they won three majors in a row with their 2016 lineup, which was sponsored by Valve before the DPC was introduced in 2017. Team Secret also had a strong run in 2020, marking eight straight tournament wins and the best 100-game record in Dota history. NaVi and Alliance were also very dominant in the early years of Dota 2 esports.
There are still a few stops on the Dota calendar where we can see the Gaimin Gladiators. They will compete at the Riyadh Masters 2022, which starts on 15 July, before preparing again for The International 12 in October. No team that has won a major during a DPC season in the modern era has won a TI – a curse Gaimin will now try to break.