Seleri: "If I can choose, I prefer to win the most money. But TI is close after that"
Melchior "Seleri" Hillenkamp is the charismatic leader of Gaimin Gladiator’s Dota 2 team.
His rise to prominence stems from years of patience, hard work, and continuous hustle, which has made him an inspiration to others.
The young Dutchman first caught the eye of Gaimin Gladiators when his team, then known as Team Tickles, impressed everyone with a strong showing in Tour 1 of the Western Europe DPC.
Photo: ValveSince then, Seleri's leadership has propelled Gaimin Gladiators to consistent top finishes at major tournaments, cementing his status as one of the best Dota 2 captains in the competitive circuit.
In this exclusive interview with BLAST, Seleri talks about the team's journey at TI12, the impact of Dota 2 patch 7.36, and their expectations at TI13 and Riyadh Masters 2024.
Second-place finish at TI12 and a rough start to 2024
Seleri acknowledges the pressure of being one of the favourites at TI12 but downplays its role in the second-place finish. He admits to a shaky start at TI12 but highlights their impressive lower-bracket run.
He said, “We started off shaky but once we found our groove, we rolled over almost everyone during the main event through the entire lower bracket.
However, in the grand finals, we ran out of steam and Team Spirit was better. You could see that they had time to study us while we barely had time to sleep on the final day.”
After a second-place finish at ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023, Gaimin Gladiators’ performance started to dip, sending the team into a post-TI12 slump.
Seleri added, “We weren't practicing as intensely, and it showed in the results leading up to Dreamleague Season 23, where we managed another second-place finish.”
Dota 2 Patch 7.36: Likes and Dislikes
The introduction of Dota 2 Patch 7.36 revitalized GG. While initially struggling with the previous patch, despite going 8-2 in DreamLeague Season 23, Seleri finds the update enjoyable and appreciates the focus on hero balancing through Facets and Innates instead of item overhauls.
He adds, “I really enjoy that they did not change items too much, but instead brought in these hero facets which they can use to balance the game better and make it interesting. Every hero has more to think about but fundamentally the game is still the same.”
Thinking of themselves as one of the nerdier teams out there, Seleri and Co., are having a blast figuring out the intricacies of the new Dota 2 patch.
While the core gameplay remains unchanged, Patch 7.36 brings a layer of complexity with the new mechanics. However, he thoroughly dislikes Enchantress’s innate ability to give neutral items but finds IO’s innate intriguing and unique.
He ranks both Enchantress and IO as top hero picks in the current meta.
Riyadh Masters, TI13 & BLAST
With a stacked lineup at Riyadh Masters, Seleri anticipates a highly competitive event with diverse strategies.
He adds, “It will be amazing, every team will be grinding away at strategizing and being on top of their game. I think we can expect any team to be able to take games from each other with cool strats!”
He feels that Riyadh fits in nicely as a big tournament to finish off the league cycles for ESL and at the same time welcomes BLAST’s entry into Dota, believing it will bring healthy diversification to the Dota 2 esports scene.
Seleri continues, “The more organizers and tournaments we have, the better. There is more than enough space for plenty of variety in the scene. I have always watched BLAST and their CSGO events so I'm really looking forward to seeing how Dota will look and work out!”
TI vs. Riyadh Masters: Importance, Preference & Preparation
While acknowledging the increased prize pool at Riyadh Masters, Seleri prioritizes winning a prestigious
tournament, preferably with a live audience. He values TI highly but prioritizes prize money when given a choice.
He said, “Winning a tournament is most important to me, preferably a tournament with a crowd, after that, if I can choose, I prefer to win the most money. But TI is close after that haha.”
With both tournaments fast approaching, Gaimin Gladiators is back in practice mode, focusing on individual and team skills, bootcamping together and getting back in good shape.
Seleri’s goal is a top 3 finish at both Riyadh Masters and TI13 – keeping things simple at his end.
He adds, “Nothing special has to be done for this, I know we have a team with players capable of victory, as we have shown before.”
He is confident that by focusing on the fundamentals and getting the basics right, achieving these goals is well within reach.
Before signing off, the charismatic Dutchman states his love for playing against teams from other regions the most because of different playstyles and the difficulty of predicting which teams will rise to the occasion.
Gaimin Gladiators will be seen competing at the Riyadh Masters 2024 beginning on July 4th, 2024. Stay tuned to BLAST for more exclusive interviews.