Western European powerhouse Tundra Esports have emerged as one of the top contenders for the coveted Aegis of Champions at The International 11 (TI11).
The team dominated the Group Stage, finishing as the top seed of Group B with a 14-4 record and securing an upper bracket berth in the Main Event.
Ahead of Tundra’s first match on Day 2 of the Main Event, team captain Jingjun “Sneyking” Wu and offlaner Neta “33” Shapira said in an exclusive interview with Yahoo Esports SEA that they were excited to finally showcase how good their team are in Dota 2’s biggest stage and be among the Top 3 teams.
“It feels great to finally be here, we’ve been working very hard towards this for two years. We did kinda feel like last year we got robbed of the opportunity to play in TI10, so it feels really good to finally be here and show that we belong here,” said 33.
“We’re very happy and very fortunate to be at this TI and to be at the very top,” added Sneyking.
“We just want to make sure that we’re still working hard and still staying humble because the tournament is not over. It’s only one step along the way, so we’re gonna continue to do our best.”
Outstanding Group Stage from Tundra
But while most thought Tundra would be one of the better performing teams at TI11, not many expected them to be as good as they were during the Group Stage.
Sneyking admitted that he, too, was surprised by their results, though 33 added that things didn’t look as easy as it might have.
“It went better than expected. I didn’t really have much expectations coming into this tournament, I just wanted to play my best and prepare my team as best we can. I was as pleasantly surprised as you guys are,” said Sneyking.
“We for sure exceeded expectations a bit. We were aiming for the upper bracket, obviously, and we all believed that we could do it. But I wouldn’t say we had an easy road at all because we had a lot of hard games,” 33 explained.
“We had four draws, and we felt afterwards that we could’ve won every single one of those games. Even in our wins, there were some close games. So we didn’t feel like we had an easy time sailing through the Group Stage, we faced strong competition and I’m just glad we came out on top.”
A noteworthy fact about Tundra’s performance in the Group Stage was that they were the only team to never concede a 0-2 loss, with the four games they did lose coming in 1-1 draws. Both 33 and Sneyking said it showcased the team’s strong mentality and ability to adapt against adversity.
“I’m really happy that we managed to come back in all those draws. We never let a loss get to us and I hope if we end up dropping a game in some playoff series, we’ll be able to bounce back because we practiced for it,” said 33.
“I think that showcases that we’re able to adapt and stay mentally strong despite having a loss. I think every time we’ve lost a game, it was the first game of the best-of-two and not the second game. Being able to adapt and still stay strong mentally, I think that these two skillsets are very important in an event like TI. At the end of the day, it may not be the most skilled team that wins, it might be the team that has the best skills and the best mentality that will win,” added Sneyking.
“Sometimes, obviously, things don’t go our way, but we still look to bounce back from it. I think being able to bounce back from a loss is very important because everyone is bound to lose, and it’s how you handle that loss that makes you stronger.”
A familiar face off in the upper bracket
Tundra will be facing a familiar foe in OG in their first match of the upper bracket.
Throughout the 2021-2022 Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) season, Tundra and OG clashed 15 times across the regional leagues and Majors. While Tundra won eight of those encounters, one of the matches they did lose was the lower bracket finals of the ESL One Stockholm Major. OG went on to win that tournament.
Of course, the circumstances are different for their 16th clash this season. Not only is it at TI, Tundra will be entering the match as the favourites by virtue of being Group B’s top seed while OG barely made the Main Event from Group A.
Sneyking praised OG as a “very formidable opponent” but was coy when asked about his predictions for the result.
“I think, honestly, I’m not too sure who’s gonna win but I just hope the better team wins. Obviously, I hope that will be us, but you never know for certain. Either way, I just hope we’ll be able to play our game and try our best, that’s all I ask for,” said Sneyking.
On the other hand, 33 didn’t mince his words, saying “I think we will win, hopefully a 2-0.”
Tundra are known as one of the most creative teams in all of Dota 2, unafraid to innovate and constantly pushing the metagame forward. Sneyking thinks that’s one of the things that separates them from the rest of the competition at TI11.
“We’re a very unique team, we understand which heroes we’re strongest with and we try to push those heroes to their limits. And we totally trust in each other and our capabilities,” said Sneyking.
“We try to work with all the ideas that we have because I think every idea is valuable. We just see what sticks and what works, then we try to keep building on it. And even if an idea doesn’t work initially, we’ll try to find a way to make it work until we think it’s time to move on.”
Much of the creativity that makes Tundra such a unique and strong team can be attributed to 33, who plays the offlane role unlike any other and has been blurring the lines on what offlaners do. He said that he works very closely with the team in order to take full advantage of what he brings to the table.
“I think I just usually have a couple of heroes I want to play. I feel like they’re strong in the meta right now and I feel like I have a lot of success with them,” 33 explained.
“I talk to Sneyking, [our coach Kurtis “Aui_2000” Ling] and [our position 4 support player Martin “Saksa” Sazdov] and tell them, “These are the heroes that I think are good, these are what I want to play.” And we just figure out together how to make these heroes work, how to build strategies around them.”
When asked about his unique take on the offlane and how he constantly pushes the envelope even if the meta doesn’t favour his signature heroes, 33 gave some insight on how he sees the meta and his place in it.
“I’ve never felt like the meta doesn’t suit me. It’s feel like it’s kind of an excuse when you say, “I’m doing badly because the meta is bad for me.” It doesn’t really matter, the metagame is what you make it out to be. If you’re gonna win doing what you feel is good, that’s going to become the meta. That’s going to be what other teams are gonna try to do. So I try to not worry about it too much, just play what I think is good and try to make it work,” said 33.
With their dominant performance in the Group Stage and their penchant for innovation, it’s not hard to see why Tundra have positioned themselves as contenders for the Aegis at TI11.
Both Sneyking and 33 see their team among the Top 3, and while the championship is their ultimate goal, the only thing they’re thinking about is to live up to the standards they’ve set for themselves.
“I can definitely see us in the Top 3 or Top 4. My goal is obviously to win the whole thing, but I think having these expectations doesn’t necessarily help you as a team. The only real expectation is, as long as we play our best and try our best, that’s good enough. We’ll carry on and keep doing it, and eventually we’re gonna win,” said Sneyking.
“I think if we get to play our game and we perform to the level that I know we can perform at, we are for sure able to reach Top 3 and win the finals as well,” added 33.
“I don’t think anyone goes to TI, gets Top 3, and feels too bad about it at the end of the day. It doesn’t matter in what stage you lose, when you lose you’ll always feel bad about it. But at the end of the day, there’s 20 teams and there’s only one winner. Even if we don’t end up being the champions, it’s not the end of the world. But of course, the Aegis is what we’re aiming for.”
TI11’s Main Event will be a double-elimination bracket and is split into two phases, the first being held from 20 to 23 October while the second will take place from 29 to 30 October.
For everything you need to know about TI11, check here.
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