Never in doubt, right? Ultimately, a 3-0 sweep decided the fate of the Aegis of Champions in a topsy-turvy iteration of The International in Copenhagen, where Team Liquid capped off their dominant run in imperious fashion to make Neta “33” Shapira the first-ever player to win TI with two different teams.
In the end, only Team Spirit found a way to lay a glove on Team Liquid—but only in the group stage. From that point onwards, Nisha and co. went from strength to strength with every passing round in yet another dominant year for European Dota.
With three of the top four finishers coming from the direct invite pool, this year’s TI was somewhat less upset-filled than many of the competition’s previous iterations, but with Falcons pipped to the post by Topson’s Tundra Esports, who ultimately had to settle for third place, Dota fans still got a mouthwatering grand final matchup to savor, courtesy of the teams’ recent history.
With so many grand final meetings between Team Liquid and Gaimin Gladiators, all going the way of the latter squad, you’d have been forgiven for expecting a one-sided affair—but if you expected it to go this way, then a career in fortune-telling awaits you.
Even considering the upper bracket finals, where Liquid pulled off a 2-0 win over their rivals to make up for many past failings, there was still every likelihood of a close-fought affair in the grand final. Perhaps it was the shattering of a mental block from Liquid’s side or the impact of a marathon series from Gaimin Gladiators, but the grand final saw the emergence of a new narrative between these two teams.
With a swift 29-minute win in game one and a teeth-clenching grind in game two, a huge teamfight win early on in game three all but settled the affair, with GG’s GG coming soon after.
So again, it’s close but no cigar for Gaimin Gladiators, who fell agonizingly short once more after last year. Still, it remains a year to be remembered for their fans and players alike, as we now all turn our attention towards Crownfall’s Act 4 and the impending arrival of Kez, the Bird Samurai.
