Gaimin Gladiators gain berth in grand final at Riyadh Masters

Field Level Media|published: Sat 20th July, 15:47 2024

A custom gaming keyboard backlit with red LED lights waits for tactile input before Manual took on Boone County in a Rocket League match, which was streamed on YouTube on Thursday, March 5, 2020.

Gaimin Gladiators recorded a 2-0 win over Team Liquid on Saturday to advance to the grand final at the $5 million Dota 2 Riyadh Masters in Saudi Arabia.

Gaimin Gladiators posted a 33-minute win on red and 34-minute victory on green in the upper-bracket final. They'll play the grand final against the winner of Sunday's early match between Liquid and Team Falcons, who emerged victorious in two contests on Saturday.

Team Falcons posted a 2-1 win over PSG Quest in a lower-bracket quarterfinal clash and a 2-0 victory over Tundra Esports in the semifinals.

The Falcons sandwiched a 38-minute triumph on red and a 62-minute win on green around a 46-minute setback on red before having an easier time of it versus Tundra Esports. They notched 37- and 52-minute wins on red in the latter match.

The Riyadh Masters, part of the Esports World Cup, began with 20 teams on July 4. The playoffs run through Sunday, with all remaining matches best-of-three until the best-of-five grand final.

The winning team will earn $1.5 million and 1,000 Esports World Cup team points, while the runner-up will receive $800,000 and 600 Esports World Cup team points.

Dota 2 Riyadh Masters prize pool (money, Esports World Cup team points):

1. $1.5 million, 1,000 points

2. $800,000, 600

3. $600,000, 350

4. $400,000, 200 -- Tundra Esports

5-6. $300,000, 90 -- BetBoom Team, PSG Quest

7-8. $200,000, 30 -- WBG.XG, Team Spirit

9-12. $100,000 -- Aurora, Entity, LGD Gaming, OG

13-14. $70,000 -- HEROIC, beastcoast

15-16. $40,000 -- Blacklist International, MOUZ

17-18. $25,000 -- Virtus.pro, nouns

19-20. $15,000 -- G2 x iG, Azure Ray