Ace on Gaimin Gladiators: "We're just trying to find our pace"

Gaimin Gladiators was among the most dominant teams in the professional Dota 2 scene last year. They took all the Major trophies and two DreamLeague trophies.  The team even placed a runner-up spot at The International 2023.

However, by the time the 2024 Dota 2 professional scene began, Gaimin’s in-game performance started to fade. In their recent LAN, the team got a 5th-6th place finish. Additionally, in the ongoing DreamLeague Season 22, the team is trying to find its footing.

Gaimin Gladiators Ace at The International 2023, after eliminating Nouns.
Credits: Valve

After their series with OG, the offlaner of Gaimin Gladiators, Marcus "Ace" Christensen, sat down for an interview, reflecting on the team’s recent performance.

Ace on DreamLeague Performance: "It’s been a rollercoaster."

Ace artistic portrait at DreamLeague Season 19.
Image Source: Twitter.@ESLDota2

The ongoing DreamLeague Season 22 is full of surprises. During the first group stage, many titans fell to unexpected teams.  Gaimin Gladiators' series against OG was crucial, as the losing side would be going to the tiebreakers.

After an intense three-game series, Gaimin eventually took the win. The team’s offlaner acknowledges that they have been taking some losses, reflecting on their recent records. Ace continued to say that Gaimin Gladiators have been trying to figure out their pacing for the tournament as it has some intense competition.

“It’s been like a roller coaster. It’s pretty much up and down. We’re just trying to find our pace right now. It has honestly been very hard, but it’s going better, I think. We’ve tanked a lot of losses lately. So, we can learn a lot from these losses, and I feel like we’re working on everything honestly.”

Gaimin’s DreamLeague performance thus far

Ace at The International 2023.
Credits: Valve

In the past, the Gaimin Gladiators were known for their slow start in tournaments. During the group stages, the team would often have mixed results. However, as the tournament progresses, the team will eventually find their pace.

Nonetheless, this is not the case for Gaimin Gladiators at DreamLeague Season 22. Looking back at the current tournament’s run, the team’s offlaner states it is one of the roughest tournament runs for them. Moreover, he confirmed that the team is trying to find a new playstyle. However, most of them are not working out.

“I feel like we’ve been pretty far down the pit, honestly. I feel like it’s one of the roughest periods for us on the team, actually. We’re trying a lot of things, and stuff not working out. Trying to find a play style. Also, taking a lot of losses can kinda get mad at each other pretty easily.”

Ace on his Mars build

Mars is a hero that was first introduced in 2020. Although the hero was introduced as a carry, he has mostly been played as an offlaner.
(Credit: Valve)

In the past, Ace had played a lot of offlane heroes for their aura. However, due to the change in Gaimin Gladiators’ playstyle; Lately, Ace has been playing initiating heroes. One of those heroes is Mars. Mars has a different build in the past. However, nowadays, the hero is mainly picked for his initiating prowess. The offlaner noted he has been working on his Mars and is confident with it.

“Mars is not like a new hero to me. But this new blink-offlaner-like-initiate all the time, I definitely been working on it a lot. Right now, I’m pretty confident.”

Gaimin Gladiators’ upcoming series is up against Xtreme Gaming. It’s a crucial series for both teams, as the losing team would likely get eliminated.

Featured Image Source: Valve

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