Team Liquid had a rough start to Dota 2’s BetBoom Dacha 2024. The EU powerhouse was matched against the all-mighty Gaimin Gladiators on the first day, with Gaimin making quick work of Liquid. But the match still made headlines when Neta “33” Shapira refused to shake Gaimin players’ hands.
Gaimin versus Liquid was the ultimate match-up of 2023. The two teams clashed in the grand finals of various tournaments and in the opener of BetBoom Dacha 2024 yesterday. The series only lasted an hour despite Dota 2’s meta-shifting toward longer matches. When it was time to shake hands, Gaimin approached Liquid players, but they would be denied by 33.
During the interaction, the livestream had no player audio, causing Dota 2 fans to wonder what might have happened. Popular Dota 2 streamer Gorgc also went over the clip with his live audience, but ultimately failed to read the offlaner’s lips.
Following the handshake denial, Quinn Callahan was called for a post-match interview, where many expected him to shed light on what had just happened. As Quinn quickly went over their picks, the interview audio suddenly got cut, and the stream switched back to the casters. The lack of information kickstarted Reddit discussions as fans began theorizing why 33 would refuse the handshakes.
Some called Liquid’s offlaner salty, while others raised less toxic arguments, pointing out he could be feeling under the weather. With the rumor mills spinning at full speed, Liquid’s Coach Blitz threw gasoline onto the fire on X (formerly Twitter), saying there was no issue between the two teams and they just “hated Quinn.”
After 40 minutes from Blitz’s statement, Quinn also posted on X clarifying the situation. “There’s no beef between me and 33,” Quinn said. “Losing just sucks, and it feels like doing it after a best of two.”
Quinn believed everyone was overthinking the situation, and losing in such a fashion on the mainstage could take a toll on players at certain moments. Luckily, Liquid started today with a victory over Falcons, but the live audience didn’t see whether the two teams shook hands after the games.
