Gaimin Gladiators has been the dominant force in the Dota 2 Pro Circuit this season, making history by winning all three Majors and keeping a stranglehold on the finals for any top-tier event. That changed at Riyadh Masters 2023, where an “exhausted” Gaimin suffered its first LAN loss of the season—though star carry player Dyrachyo says the team is ready to “tryhard” as they gear up for The International in October.
At Riyadh Masters, Gaimin failed to make it through to the grand finals for the first time at a LAN event this season, dropping out in fourth place after an upset loss to Talon Esports. In a Sept. 9 interview with Escorenews, Dyrachyo stated the team’s problems came from an exhausting run and lack of time to just sit down and play Dota before the event due to an extended process to obtain visas.
“I was very tired after Riyadh Masters 2023,” Dyrachyo said to Escorenews. “There were intense games and stress as we had a lot of comebacks in the playoffs.” Dyrachyo noted the emotional toll of playing in the lower bracket that, when compounded with such a busy schedule and a stressful tournament entry, ultimately played a part in Gaimin’s defeat.
Now, Dyrachyo says, the batteries are recharged. “Everything is very cool and just great, I’ve recharged. I will try to be in better shape for The International 2023.”
According to Dyrachyo the team realized that certain heroes weren’t working too late and they “threw too many games” before the playoffs and didn’t have enough time to fix things—even if they still finished fourth and took home $1.2 million USD.
After returning home from Riyadh Masters the team took most of August off to rest ahead of a stacked September event schedule before TI12. That month of downtime has left Dyrachyo “bored” and ready to grind with a team that he says is “refreshed and ready.”
“The goal to win every tournament in the year was set a long time ago, we need to reach it. We still have three events left.” Dyrachyo said.
Even though he said that everyone is rested and ready to hit the next three events running, Dyrachyo also notes that he had “no issues” with burnout this year. He said that team captain Seleri pulled back from drafting a bit mid-season when he was a bit burnt out, but other than that it was smooth sailing.
Depending on if you are like Puppey and want to have the option to play Dota at events all the time or suffer from burnout like Tundra Esports has this year, a lot of it comes down to mentality. Dyrachyo says that Gaimin’s roster does “not get pressured” at events and everyone is “comfortable in the team,” which really helped them keep in shape for most of the year thus far.
Gaimin is now entering a three-event stretch to end the 2023 season with BetBoom Dacha from Sept. 10 to 16, DreamLeague Season 21 from Sept. 18 to 21, and TI12 from Oct. 12 to 29.
BetBoom Dacha is the first hurdle and something the team is treating as a “transitional tournament” to get back into shape from their extended break. Dyrachyo said the team hasn’t done much scrimming before the event, just around three games a day to warm up as they go from “chill to tryhard mode.”
After DreamLeague concludes, the team will go right into a Serbian boot camp before heading off to Seattle for TI where Dyrachyo says Gaimin will not only enter as the favorites but also “will come in peak form.”
