Rivalry truly hits hard in the Dota 2 scene, especially when you face each other multiple times in the previous grand finals of various tournaments. That’s what happened when Team Liquid lost all the last five grand final clashes against the Gaimin Gladiators, only to clap back at them when they clashed at the big stage of The International 2024.

Team Liquid now reigns at the top of the Dota 2 world once more after the team hammered their rivals Gaimin Gladiators to cap off the all-Europe showdown. Fans at the Royal Arena in Denmark were roaring loud as this was the biggest and most dominant performance that a team has ever displayed by a TI champion all over the years.

Team Liquid did not really have much of a promising set of games in the preliminaries, losing key games in the Group Stage and Seeding Decider phases. However, the team would go on to win every single game in the playoffs, showing how well the team can turn up their game when it matters most, proof that they really deserve to be hailed as champions at this point.

A Story of Champions

Team Liquid earned a direct invite to the competition after showing off a promising performance for most of the year. The team was placed second in BetBoom Dacha Dubai 2024 and in Riyadh Masters 2024. However, the team would go on to suffer some tough hits in their games in 5th-6th place finishes in multiple tournaments. A win in the Elite League Season 2 would set their pace heading into the competition, and it delivered well as they proved to be quite the team to watch this year.

The tides have truly turned out to be in their favor this year as Liquid showed that they are the team to beat again. With the Aegis of Champions now at hand, Team Liquid takes home the lion’s share of the tournament’s $2.56 million prize pool, accumulating at least $1.15 million in cash. They now add their second Aegis to their trophy case since their first TI win back in 2017.

The Gaimin Gladiators, on the other hand, bowed out of TI 2024 with still a promising potential as the second-placer in the tournament. They took home $350,000 for their efforts and still looks forward to come up with a bigger run in the tournament as they now have back-to-back runs in the Grand Final, only to lose at the top after last year’s loss to Team Spirit.

A Final to Remember

Team Liquid opened up the final with a promising poise, taking over in the 18th minute of the first game and setting up promising team fights. miCKe on Nature's Prophet and 33 on Visage pulled off massive performances to deliver an easy campaign in Game 1, calling it over after 29 minutes of action and dominating the Gaimin Gladiators with ease.

Liquid then played a high-tempo pace in the second game, bringing miCKe on Nature's Prophet again, Nisha on Nature's Prophet, and 33 on Bristleback. This time, the Gladiators were able to come up with some impressive counters, but ultimately failed to prevent Liquid from owning the game after more than 45 minutes.

The final game was no different, as Team Liquid did not allow the Gaimin Gladiators to regain their composure and come up with a comeback, effectively closing down the final and winning the TI 2024 championship, showing that they are still one of the most dominant teams to watch in the game at this point.