Ace on Hero Nerfs “I always feel a little bit targeted, especially after last season.”
For any other team in Dota 2 esports, two top-five finishes, and over $100,000 in prize money would be a good start to a season. But for Gaimin Gladiators, who won every single Major in 2023, and were runners up at The International, it’s a slow start.
I sat down with Marcus “Ace” Christensen, offlaner for Gaimin Gladiators, before the start of DreamLeague Season 22. Ahead of the event that would become the second top-five finish for the team this year, Ace was cool and casual, looking supremely relaxed in the mid morning after a few hours of scrims. I asked him about how difficult it was to replicate the success of 2023, and what the team was doing to recapture the spark that had brought them three-straight Major victories.
Preparing and replicating past success
Ace, hello, how are you feeling? Are you looking forward to DreamLeague?
Marcus “Ace” Christensen: “Hello. Pretty good, we just scrimmed a little bit early this morning so it’s nice to get back on it. We just started today.”
Oh, great. New scrim on the new patch?
Ace: “Oh yeah, true, actually. There’s also the new patch, which is always cool. I love waking up and having to read some new patch stuff.”
Actually, one of my first questions is about that — so as is kinda often the case in Dota 2, a patch dropped yesterday, pretty close to the start of the tournament. I know Gaimin Gladiators are a team who spends a lot of time formulating ideas and strategies. Is this going to affect you guys heavily, or does it just mean a few more late nights preparing before the tournament?
Ace: “I think it will affect us a little bit, not that much. It’s going to affect everybody for sure. But I think it’s in a good way because our team likes to read patches and do new strats and analyzing stuff. And also it’s nice to get some, I guess, motivation. It feels like motivation because it’s fun. I think it’s a good thing for us.”
Do you think the team sometimes thrives on that? For instance, last year, Valve dropped the patch just nine hours before the Berlin Major, and you were able to turn around and win that tournament.
Ace: “I think in a sense that we are good at adapting to new patches. Then it helps us counter other teams that are not as good, or some other teams. But I think that Berlin Major we would probably have won anyway, though. So, I don’t know.
I think also sometimes we are really good at a patch and then a new patch drops. And then it’s like, I feel like we are the best in the patch. And then it’s a bit annoying. But at the same time, we’re also really good at adapting to the patch. So it’s like, it’s okay either way.”
Does it sometimes feel like a patch is a little targeted? For instance I noticed that they nerfed Lone Druid and Magnus, two of your most played at the last tournament. And as if adding insult to injury, they nerfed Doom as well, one of your signature heroes.
Ace: “I mean honestly, I always feel a little bit targeted, especially after last season, like when the patch drops. This time, especially, as you said the Lone Druid, I was like, “wait what?” I feel like I didn’t see anyone else playing Lone Druid. Maybe there were a few, but maybe not actually. So that felt targeted.
But yeah, I mean, it is obvious they have to target teams that are winning, even though we haven’t been winning that much lately…”
Gaimin Gladiators had one of the most successful years for a Dota 2 team in history in 2023. What are you doing to maintain that momentum going forward this year?
Ace: “I think we just want to look also at what we did last year that was really good. And then also kind of replicate that a little bit. And when things go downhill we can always look back and think about what we did that we actually do that was really good from last time. And then we’ll also know maybe what we did now that’s not so good. Because we already kind of have the recipe to being successful. Sometimes you just stray away from the recipe, but then you just have to look back, ah, what was it actually? What did we do?”
Last year, teams eventually managed to catch up to your level of play, but it took them around half a year to do so. Do you think you’re the team playing catch up to the likes of Falcons, Team Spirit, Azure Ray, etc, now?
Ace: “I think we are on the level. In a sense. I think generally our problem has always been we have some good stuff going and then a patch drops. I mean, it’s always patches that turn things around. So I feel like everybody always has to catch up to these changes and stuff. But before we had no one who was close. Now we have to actually look at some teams and steal what they’re doing, maybe a little bit and stuff like that. So in that sense, maybe we have to catch up a little bit to like, for example, Falcons.”
Do you think it’s easier then, being in that situation where there are more people on your level? Where you can just kind of look around and be like “oh well they’re having success with this and you’re having success with this.” Compared to last year where there was really no one you could compare to because you were winning?
Ace: “Yeah, I mean it’s always… That’s the thing about Dota right now — stats and stuff are so fucking huge. So huge. It’s so easy to just go on anybody’s page and see exactly what they pick, how they do it, check the replay. You’re in the replay in 10 seconds if you do it right. You can even check DotaBuff, or whatever, all the support ward spots and stuff. It’s so easy to steal stuff. But then again, if you’re always trying to steal somebody’s thing, you’re kinda behind them anyway. Because you also exactly don’t know why they’re doing it.”
Heroes and nerfs
We mentioned it a bit before, talking about heroes being nerfed but do you like the hero pool for offlane at the moment. Is there a hero you wish you could play right now or you think would be strong?
Ace: “I think the pool is pretty big actually right now. And now there’s a new patch, so probably some new things turned around a little bit. But overall it’s pretty big, the hero pool. It’s also because a lot of the time, offlane heroes are also depending on items. So basically like, let’s say, Vanguard or Helm of Iron Will is really broken. That means that some heroes get really broken because of it. But right now there is no really good offlane early tank-type of items. Like the best you can buy is like boots, Wraith Band, and Bracers, and stuff. And literally all heroes can buy this which also makes all heroes more viable. So in that regard it’s pretty cool.”
Finally, almost opposite to that. Is there a hero at the moment you just want deleted from the game? Something that you’re sick of? I know some people were kind of sick of Dragon Knight, he just got nerfed so maybe he’s not going to be around, but is there anything else?
Ace: “I mean I definitely want to jump the Dragon Knight train. This hero is obnoxious with this Manta, Aghanim stuff, like this is so annoying to play against. But besides that, I kind of like having a lot of different heroes being viable, I think it’s cool. I don’t really hate any hero specific. Maybe some heroes are really annoying to lane against, which is Dragon Knight for example.
Also, I think Timbersaw, like, somehow they didn’t actually really nerf him this patch. I feel like that doesn’t make sense to me, because the hero is like, unga-bunga, broken, always banned first pick, you know? And they nerfed his Shard, which people are not even buying. I don’t know. I feel like some developer, Valve developer really likes the Timbersaw and has the last say, you know, he’s not gonna let Timbersaw get nerfed.”
Maybe they’re a Team Falcons fan?
Ace: “Maybe that’s it. I feel like Ammar is sitting and reading the patch and he’s laughing after reading it’s like “What the hell? Why’s he still there?!” And Razor also didn’t get touched!”
Thank you so much Ace. Good luck with DreamLeague Season 22!
Ace: “Thank you very much, see you around”
For more Dota 2 interviews, why not check out my chat with Boxi ahead of DreamLeague and my conversation with Ari. And Bookmark, Save, and Clap this Medium as I head to ESL One Birmingham in April, and The International 2023 in Copenhagen later this year.
