The group stage of the ESL One Birmingham 2024 has concluded with Gaimin Gladiators among the teams that didn’t advance to playoffs. Considering the last couple of tournaments, the three-time Major Champion just can’t seem to catch a break.
Quinn “Quinn” Callahan (Image credit: ESL)
Recap on the ESL One Birmingham 2024 Group Stage
On paper, Gaimin’s scoreboard in group B of ESL One Birmingham 2024 doesn’t look too shabby. They have two losses, two draws and a clean win. Then, we recall the fact that this is the three-time Major Champion we are featuring. The team garnered fame because of its diverse line-up, featuring the wunderkind “Quinn” Callahan.
Moreover, this group was perceived as the easier group to compete in, particularly due to the absence of Team Falcons, which should have eased the challenge for Gaimin.
Why is Gaimin so bad?
Well, it certainly has a lot to do with the most recent Dota 2 patch. The latest Dota 2 patch 7.35, which significantly affected Marcus “Ace” Christensen’s playstyle and signature Dota 2 offlane heroes.
Patch 7.35 nerfed heroes such as Primal Beast and Mars, which were crucial to Ace in delivering strong presence in both the laning phase and team fights. The shift required the team to adapt to using initiation heroes like Magnus, which do not suit Ace’s forte.
As such, the lack of effective offlane heroes has placed Gaimin at a disadvantage in many mid-game engagements, despite reasonable performances from other Gaimin players like Quinn and Anton “dyrachyo” Shkredov.
Gaimin’s 2024 season thus far
Gaimin’s downhill trend began at the BetBoom Dacha Dubai 2024, where they were eliminated prematurely at 5th to 6th place. Their struggles continued at DreamLeague S22, where they even failed to qualify for the playoffs, followed by yet another disappointing finish in the Elite League 2024 playoffs.
This back-to-back underwhelming performance has ruined their reputation and likely team morale.
Team Spirit eliminated from ESL One Birmingham 2024, but changes are welcome
Unlike Gaimin, Team Spirit, another team which is also facing performance challenges, acknowledges their issues and is actively making strategic changes, such as alternating drafting decisions between captain and coach.
Although Team Spirit also faced elimination at the same stage in ESL One Birmingham 2024, they seem to be taking more decisive steps to understand and address their problems.
Eliminated teams at ESL One Birmingham 2024 (Image credit: ESL)
What changes will Gaimin make?
With the 2024 Dota 2 esports season midway through, Gaimin might consider a roster shuffle, which could be crucial in revitalizing their team playstyle and hero pool before the International 2024 (TI13). However, that would be a rough announcement for the Gaimin fans, who have followed the team since their success in 2023.
There is also the possibility of an upcoming major Dota 2 update, brought to us by Icefrog, which might rebalance Ace’s offlane heroes to fit the current meta better. The next few months will be critical for Gaimin as they decide whether to adapt their roster or gameplay in preparation for the upcoming Dota 2 Tournaments and, ultimately, TI13.
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