Gaimin Gladiators, a highly successful Dota 2 team, is undergoing changes to its roster after maintaining consistency for almost two years.
The recent roster adjustments for Gaimin Gladiators were announced on Oct. 3 and Oct. 4, with Anton “dyrachyo” Shkredov leaving the team after over three years. Former Cloud 9 carry Alimzhan “watson” Islambekov will be taking his place.
Image Credit: Gaimin Gladiators
The announcements were made on social media, with Dyracho’s departure initially revealed, followed by Watson’s arrival a day later. The delay in the announcement was due to paperwork issues, as explained by Gaimin Gladiators in a post.
“The paperwork took longer than expected, which is why the announcement was delayed. Who would have known that esports is now such a professional industry that you actually need signed papers to announce something? lol. Because of that delay, we were a bit cooked after making a few posts. Even though leaks are inevitable, we played the ‘we’ll create fake leaks to make it less obvious’ card. So, sincerely apologies for the heart attacks!
And no, Ace is not leaving.”
The rumor of the team’s offlaner, Marcus “Ace” Christensen, leaving the organization was also addressed.
Dyrachyo’s departure signifies the end of an era for Gaimin Gladiators. Originally acquired in 2022 from the Team Tickles stack, Gaimin Gladiators had a successful run, including reaching The International 2022. The team achieved great success in 2023, winning every Major in the final Dota Pro Circuit Season after signing NA superstar Quinn “Quinn” Callahan.
In 2024, the team continued their strong performances, winning Riyadh Masters 2024 and finishing as runner-up at The International 2024.
Watson joins Gaimin Gladiators from a C9 squad that placed 5th-6th at TI13.
The new Gaimin Gladiators roster will make their debut at BetBoom Dacha Belgrade this month, followed by an invitation to DreamLeague Season 24. The team has historically performed well at DreamLeague events, so there are high hopes for their success with this new lineup.
