BETBOOM DACHA DUBAI PLAYOFFS DAY 4: Upsets Continue To Rain At Dubai

The upsets do not stop at the million-dollar tournament as we bid farewell to the top two teams of 2023, Gaimin Gladiators and Team Spirit. 

Gaimin Gladiators 1-2 Team Liquid

Though the Gladiators had Liquid’s number throughout 2023, the boys in blue finally defeat their arch-nemesis in the Lower Bracket elimination match. 

Liquid went for a somewhat experimental draft on the first map: carry Marci for miCKe and mid Sniper for Nisha. At first, the idea seemed like it wouldn’t work, but the map ended in 27 minutes in favor of Team Liquid after an incredible performance.

The Gladiators woke up in the second game, as any more snoozing would result in their elimination from the tournament. The Gaimin Gladiators had a stronger draft, but it took them ample time to capitalize on the advantage. Nisha underperformed on Arc Warden, getting caught numerous times, allowing the Gladiators to tie the series.

The third map was the longest and most interesting in the entire series. Team Liquid played poorly in lanes but farmed the map efficiently to get back into the game. Starting from the 25th-minute mark, the Gladiators lost team fight after team fight, making miCKe’s Windranger increasingly stronger. Eventually, Team Liquid could close the series 2-1 and eliminate the Gladiators.

The Gaimin Gladiators end their run with a 5-6th place finish, which isn’t good enough for a team of such calibre. 

Azure Ray 2-0 Team Spirit

At this point, BetBoom DACHA Dubai had already provided fans with tons of upsets. Hence, it’s not even surprising anymore that Azure Ray, a team that had their roster shattered a month ago, defeated the two-time TI winners in a 2-0 series.

Team Spirit drafted Yatoro an Arc Warden pick, which we don’t get to see too often. The game was back and forth going into the late game until Ori’s Storm Spirit started popping off. The Chinese mid-laner caught Team Spirit players left and right, shutting Yatoro down multiple times. 

Azure Ray took complete control of the map and farmed for a long time, eventually ending the game with a massive net worth lead. Lou’s Troll Warlord finished the game with 1000 GPM.

Azure Ray won the laning stage in the second map and snowballed their advantage. The Chinese squad made multiple mistakes, which Team Spirit quickly punished, but the lead was too big for the TI winners to make a comeback. Azure Ray dominated the second map to win the series 2-0.

Faith_bian and his gang simply outclassed Team Spirit today and look ready to play Team Liquid tomorrow. 

Now, only four teams remain in BetBoom DACHA Dubai 2024. The Upper Bracket Final and a Lower Bracket elimination match will be played tomorrow. 

Could you have guessed that neither Team Spirit nor Gaimin Gladiators would finish at least in the top four?