Gaimin Gladiators finished 2022 on a sour note when the Dota 2 team underperformed at The International. Soon after the event, though, the roster shuffle season commenced and GG acquired Quinn Callahan.
But Erik "tOfu" Engel shared in a DreamLeague season 20 post-match interview today that GG were also considering other big names. On the Russian broadcast, tOfu said GG were determined to get a "top five in the world" mid-laner after their TI run. The list of candidates included Quinn, Michal "Nisha" Jankowski, Rafli "Mikoto" Rahman, and Abed Yusop, according to tOfu.
"Quinn seemed to be a pretty good fit," tOfu said. "He's really easygoing, he communicates well, he's hard-working."
The position four player also highlighted that Quinn "didn't have high achievements yet," which meant he was "hungry and motivated." Ever since Quinn joined GG, the Western European squad has leveled up and won back-to-back Majors, a feat achieved by only a handful of Dota 2 teams, while also securing a seat at TI12.
Despite having a disappointing end to 2022, GG's shortlist of mid-laner candidates showcases the team's ability to notice their shortcomings. In the meantime, GG's former mid-laner Miroslav "BOOM" Bican joined Team Secret, where he had a rough season.
Related: Team Secret making big roster moves ahead of final run to Dota 2's TI12
After pivoting to the offlane, BOOM was let go from Secret earlier this month as the team decided to bring in native role players for their final quest to qualify for TI12. If Secret doesn't qualify for TI12, Clement "Puppey" Ivanov's record of attending all TIs will come to an end.