Berlin Major Reflections: Will Liquid ever beat their nemesis?

After twelve days of intense Dota, the Berlin Major has concluded. Gaimin Gladiators took over the main stage and decimated the competition. They have won back-to-back Majors this DPC season, making them the fourth team to do so. They accomplished this incredible feat after a clean Upper Bracket run at the Lima & Berlin Major with only one difference this time, Liquid was able to steal a game in the Grand Finals.

Last day of Berlin Major

Team Liquid Vs. 9Pandas

Game 1

This Bo3 went all the way. 9Pandas looked strong in game 1 of this series. With a Phantom Lancer to counter Liquid's Terrorblade draft, and kiyotaka on his QoP was too strong for Liquid.

Game2

Team Liquid made a comeback in game 2. A surprising Offlane Medusa pick and an incredible performance from both supports gave their core Alchemist time to farm and carry the game. Zai remained unkillable the entire game

Game 3

This was another cheesy draft leading to a 21-minute game favoring Liquid. With an offlane Witch Doctor and IO lane, the sustain helped them be aggressive, forcing rotations from 9Pandas 5 mins into the game. This helped Alche get an early Radiance. And along with WD and IO, they were able to dive into the Tier 4 towers 11 minutes into the game. From there it was a snowball win with a 23-7 kill score.

Team Liquid Vs. Gaimin Gladiators

These teams have been at each other's throats this entire DPC season. During the Division I regional qualifiers Liquid always plays their best. But, the Gladiators know when to shine, winning the Lima Major and Berlin Major simultaneously. Despite this, they are a few points shy of getting invited to TI 12, while Liquid is already qualified. But with another tour coming up, surely Gaimin Gladiators will get their invite.

Though Team Liquid is no.1 on the DPC standings, they are unable to beat Gaimin Gladiators on the main stage. And with the form that Gladiators are in, Liquid is not even close when compared to them. Liquid is struggling with the new patch, while the Gladiators were able to adapt to it in hardly a day during the DreamLeague Season 19.

What do the Gladiators have that Liquid doesn't?

Gaimin Gladiators during this DPC season have found what their strength is and are playing with that. They are always looking to enable their star mid, Quinn, to make sure he has an early advantage over the enemy. He then carries the game with constant rotations and fights initiations, not giving time for the enemy to react and forcing them to make mistakes. This in return helps them close out most games on or before the 20-minute mark.

While Team Liquid does have a similar play style and plays at an equal pace, Gaimin Gladiators remain unfazed in team fights, coordinating their spells almost perfectly. This is mostly where Liquid falters, they seem to be lost during team fights while GG never stops being aggressive.

Featured Image: Team Liquid