As 2022’s champions, Tundra Esports entered The International 2023 with high hopes. Onboarding Topias “Topson” Taavitsainen raised expectations further, but then the team flamed out of the tournament—a painful process that was documented.
The team’s TI 2023 documentary, which was released on YouTube on Nov. 1, offered fans an exclusive glimpse behind the scenes as the team navigated through the group stage. Yet, as the story unfolded, a sense of uncertainty crept in, with Jingjun “Sneyking” Wu and Kurtis “Aui_2000” Ling explaining Tundra’s struggles.
“After our loss to Entity, the future is uncertain for us,” Aui said. “No one knows if there will be a reshuffle or if people will keep playing together like this.”
Tundra’s TI-winning rosters’ contracts were rumored to expire after TI 2023, which would explain the sense of uncertainty that could be felt during the documentary. In an interview with Dot Esports, Nine said Tundra’s Topson signing might not last past Dota 2‘s TI 2023, as the team was focused on the present and the task at hand.
Nine’s comments also indicated the team could be working with short-term contracts, and if that’s the case, the squad will first need to decide whether they would like to stick together before inking a deal with Tundra or a new organization.
According to Sneyking, Tundra failed to achieve harmony between “the patch, teamwork, synergy, and individual gameplay.” The TI-winning captain believed a team would need to have all four to lift the Aegis of Champions, and Tundra wasn’t close to that this year.
Tundra’s coach Aui_2000 evaluated the team’s gameplay as sloppy, which was a result of players “not being in their best mental form.”
Following their early exit at TI 2023, all of Tundra’s players expressed their gratitude for working together in the past two years. They then ended the documentary with a heartwarming thank you to the fans for sticking with Tundra through highs and lows, hoping for more Dota 2 to show for Tundra with “more stories to come.”
