Gaimin Gladiators Biggest Threat : Getting A US Visa?

Gaimin Gladiators clean-swept the 2022-2023 DPC Season. They won both DreamLeague tournaments hosted by ESL One. However, they fall short against Talon Esports at The Riyadh Masters. The International title is the only title they have yet to achieve. However, the team will have to overcome their biggest opponent to get it: securing a VISA to The United States.

The Issue

Gaimin Gladiators secured their direct invite for The Internationals 2023 by being undefeated throughout the DPC 2022-2023 Season. However, as The International 2023 returns home for the first time in five years, there is a 50-50 chance they will play with a standin in their roster.

Recently, the team’s carry player Anton "dyrachyo" Shkredov revealed in a recent interview that one of his teammates is facing visa issues. The Gladiators support player Erik "tOfu" Enge is having trouble entering the United States because of an oral mistake. According to the team’s safelaner, tOfu got banned because he accidentally said he was coming there for work while carrying a tourist visa a few years ago. The player, tOfu, also revealed in a recent interview that he would have a tough time getting a US visa because of this past issue. Sadly, visa issues are the toughest obstacles for players, as Valve can’t help in these cases.

The Tofu Impact

Tofu has been with the Gaimin Gladiators since its founding days. They went to The International 2022, where the team secured a 9th-12th place finish. In the 2022-2023 DPC Season, Tofu becomes one of the top support players to keep an eye on as he consistently steps up his plays. Moreover, he played a significant part in enabling his midlaner to succeed. He is always on point with his rotations and understanding of the game. Due to his plays combined with the efforts of everyone in the team, Gaimin Gladiators are almost unstoppable this season.

Although uncertainty looms for Gaimin Gladiators ahead of The International, it would be interesting to see how the team would find a solution. Gladiator is a team that many players would happily play as a stand-in. Moreover, having a direct invite means the team will not have to go through the qualifiers. Even if they did make a roster change before the tournament, they would still be eligible to play starting from the group stages. However, it would be difficult for the team to find reliable support who could have the same impact as tOfu in this short time if the player couldn’t make it to The Internationals.

Featured Image Source: Twitter/@GaiminGladiator