Gaimin Gladiators’ unexpected offlane pick leads them to Dota 2 series victory against Nigma Galaxy

The Dota 2 DPC is back in full swing with the Winter 2023 regional league heating up. Every region taking part in this series has had some breakout moments, with most of them coming from the Western European teams pulling out their surprise cards in different series. The latest shocker came in the form of Gaimin Gladiators’ unconventional draft in their series against Nigma Galaxy earlier today.

While Nigma Galaxy went for a somewhat conventional draft, with Sumail and ATF playing their comfort heroes in Kunkka and Sven, Gaimin Gladiators decided to shake it up a little bit. Gaimin Gladiators’ offlane player, Ace, has been known to try out unconventional builds and strategies, but this time he kicked it up a notch with the surprise Witch Doctor offlane pick in game one.

The core Witch Doctor build was something that was tried and tested in high-level pub games, but never on a competitive level, which brought something new to the table. That was something Nigma Galaxy and the viewers were not prepared for.

While the analysts and casters debated about the viability of the offlane Witch Doctor pick, he was already dominating against Kuroky’s Mirana and ATF’s Sven, with Seleri’s Io constantly sustaining him. The regen combination of Witch Doctor’s Voodoo Restoration and Io’s amplification with Tether and Overcharge ensured that they won the lane without needing to buy any additional regen either.

With a 12-minute Guardian Greaves and a Pipe of Insight following soon after, the Relocates ensured Witch Doctor was a force to be reckoned with. He slowly chipped down Nigma Galaxy with his Maledict and Voodoo Restoration’s damage over time while Quinn’s Batrider and dyrachyo’s Terrorblade ensured his survival. This led Gaimin Gladiators to a decisive game one win.

Game two, however, did not go according to plan for Gaimin Gladiators. as mc’s Magnus Empowered ATF’s Sven into the complete destruction of Gaimin Gladiators. Gaimin’s heroes were arguably squishier in game two and the God’s Strength-Empower combination cleaved them down quickly. This game seemed like a turning point for Nigma Galaxy as they achieved victory decisively, looking like they were back in top form once again.

And then game three happened. Gaimin Gladiators picked up the momentum from game one in the series’ final match as if game two never happened. They had renewed vigor on the back of Quinn’s Batrider and Ace’s Tidehunter controlling the fights while dyrachyo’s Lina made short work of Nigma Galaxy. As the game progressed, it only further enforced Gaimin’s eventual victory, with Gaimin Gladiators closing out the series against Nigma Galaxy in an impressive showing.