Gaimin Gladiators announced that Melchior “Seleri” Hillenkamp will be inactive from their active roster for the foreseeable future.
Having competed and served as captain of Gaimin Gladiators since 2022, as part of a roster has not missed any major tournaments, this break seems like a well-timed vacation for Seleri.
Seleri at the International 2024 (Image credit: Valve)
Gaimin Gladiators’ Seleri goes inactive
According to Gaimin Gladiators’ official statement, Seleri will be on a hiatus for quite some time. Arman “Malady” Orazbayev from L1GA TEAM will be the Seleri’s substitute as a hard support player.
However, captain and drafting duties will belong to Erik “tOfu” Engel. Over the past couple of months, tOfu has picked up on drafting for Gaimin Gladiators, presumably in anticipation of Seleri’s long break. Nevertheless, this is going to hurt Gaimin Gladiators’ performance and morale as a Dota 2 powerhouse, considering the support Seleri provided previously.
Official Statement
Today we would like to announce a change within our Dota 2 roster.
Starting with tonight’s match in FISSURE Universe Episode 4 Closed Qualifier against Yakult Brothers, Malady will be standing in for @Seleri4096, who has been placed into an inactive role.… pic.twitter.com/EtbqVZ444Q
— GG | Gaimin Gladiators ⚔️ (@GaiminGladiator) February 15, 2025
Why did Seleri stop playing for Gaimin Gladiators?
While outwardly, and from statements from Gaimin and the player himself this is just a break requested by Seleri, fans speculate that it’s due to the recent turmoil that Gaimin has been dealing with. From Anton “dyrachyo” Shkredov’s departure to the disappointment of not winning The Internationals twice, to the sheer volume of matches Gaimin Gladiators had played over the past three years, there’s thoughts that this strain has finally taken a toll on Seleri’s well-being.
As such, a break from competitive Dota 2 is likely much needed for Seleri. Moreover, this is not goodbye for Seleri as Gaimin Gladiators seem to be expecting the support player’s return eventually, plausibly in time for Riyadh Masters, The International 2025 or even several other upcoming Dota 2 tournaments in 2025.
Gaimin Gladiators’ achievements
Frankly, the recent hate on Gaimin Gladiators’ performance was unwarranted, especially since they have the accomplishments to back it up. Here’s a recap on Gaimin Gladiators since their formation in 2022.
Their initial rise to fame was slow, but it didn’t take long for them to establish themselves as one of Western Europe’s latest powerhouses, heading to TI that year. However, it was the following year when Gaimin began dominating the scene with their systematic approach to victories. By end of Dota Pro Circuit 2023, Gaimin swept all three Dota 2 Majors, making them the first Dota 2 team to ever accomplish such feat.
They went on to play in the International 2023 (TI12) Grand Finals, falling second only to Team Spirit. Considering Team Spirit’s Illya “Yatoro” Mulyarchuk was in his prime that year, Gaimin put up a commendable fight.
Going into 2024, Gaimin didn’t dominate the entire season, especially with new rivals, such as Team Falcons, BetBoom Team, Xtreme Gaming and Team Liquid emerging. However, they managed to reach TI13 Grand Finals for a second attempt at winning the coveted TI Champions title. Unfortunately, Team Liquid snatched that victory, crushing Gaimin’s dreams once more.
Gaimin Gladiators going into 2025 season
With dyrachyo and Seleri out of Gaimin’s founding roster, fans are concerned that it will be rough for the powerhouse to climb back to its peak. Of course, those concerns are warranted especially after they got eliminated in closed qualifiers for PGL Wallachia S4 and ESL One Raleigh 2025. BetBoom Team’s COO said, “this is the end of a team that won many tournaments.”
However, they also won first runner-up at the recent BLAST Slam II, so perhaps it’s not an unsalvageable situation for Gaimin to return to its former glory.