Gaimin Gladiators Head To The International 12 With Full Roster

By Tit Krajnik

31 Aug 2023

Tit Krajnik 31 Aug 2023

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Gaimin Gladiators will have its full Dota 2 roster available at The International 2023
Erik “tOfu” Engel’s visa issues got resolved by lawyers Michael Wildes and Josh Wildes
With a full roster ready, Gaiming Gladiators are one of the favourites to win TI12

tOfu of Gaimin Gladiators (Getty Images)

European Dota 2 giants Gaimin Gladiators confirmed on Wednesday, August 30, that the team will have its full roster ready for The International 2023. The announcement comes after it was revealed that the team’s support Erik “tOfu” Engel, has had issues acquiring a visa.

In a Twitter post, Gaimin Gladiators confirmed that its support player, Erik “tOfu” Engel has resolved his visa issues and will be able to travel with his roster to Seattle, USA, for The International 2023. Previously, it was said that the German Dota 2 pro is facing the possibility that his visa would be denied due to a prior conflict.

As revealed by his teammates, tOfu has had a challenging visa acquisition process for his travel to the United States after he was banned from the visa waiver program due to his declaration during the previous trip to the United States. At the time, he stated work purposes despite holding a tourist visa, which threatened his current visa application to be denied.

Thankfully, the issue was resolved with the help of lawyers Michael Wildes and Josh Wildes, who received a special shoutout from the European esports organisation.

“After several months of hard work, we have made tofu Visa possible. We want to give a shoutout to the lawyers Michael Wildes & Josh Wildes. Without them, we would have been searching for a stand-in, lmao.”

With tOfu graned entry to the United States, Gaimin Gladiators are set to compete at Dota 2’s season-culminating event with its full lineup, setting the European squad up for success. Gaming Gladiators are one of the strongest European Dota 2 teams and one of the main favourites to win The International 2023, which makes a lot of sense, considering what tOfu and his crew have accomplished this season.

Gaimin Gladiators started the season with a runner-up finish at DPC WEU Tour 1: Division I and later added a bronze and silver medal from Tour 2 and Tour 3. Besides their strong showing in domestic tournaments, Gaimin Gladiators also left a mark in the international events.

Over the 2023 season, Gaming Gladiators have attended six Tier 1 international events and won all but one. That includes Lima Major 2023, DreamLeague Season 189, ESL One Berlin Major 2023, DreamLeague Season 20, and Bali Major. The only international tournament where Gaming Gladiators didn’t claim the top prize was the recent Riyadh Masters 2023, where the European squad placed fourth.

As the most dominant Dota 2 team of 2023, Gaiming Gladiators look poised to make a deep run at The International 12, and many believe this squad has what it takes to hoist the Aegis of Champions.