Tundra Esports have defeated Team Falcons at TI13, eliminating the tournament favorites from contention in a incredible series. Tundra 2-0’d the Falcons in the Lower Bracket on Sep. 14, ending their opponent’s run and rocketing themselves into a minimum of third place in Dota 2‘s most prestigious tournament.
The series, like every single game this The International 2024 Playoffs, was a 2-0, with Tundra sweeping their opponents in convincing fashion. Game One was a statement game by Tundra Esports which sure their carry, Ivan “Pure” Moskalenko, pick up a Lone Druid and become unstoppable. In what snowballed into a 6v5 against Falcons, the Saudi-backed team couldn’t muster enough to take down more than a single Druid bear and a few supports.
Image Credit: Valve
In Game Two, Tundra’s other cores clearly weren’t content to let Pure have all the fun. In a perfect Alchemist game, Pure dominated, but Topias “Topson” Taavitsainen, and Roman “RAMZES666” Kushnarev were close behind with impressive performances on Sniper and Doom.
In both games, the usually confident Falcons seemed unnerved by the single mindedness in which Tundra played. Falcons, who had made their mark on this tournament by catching out vital heroes at the right time, just couldn’t infiltrate Tundra’s lines.
With the elimination, Falcons head home from TI13 in 4th place, securing at least $150,000 of the prize pool, or 6% of the total amount. Despite a year that has seen them triumph in five of the seven tournaments they competed in, TI was just one step too far.
Tundra, on the other hand, advance to the Lower Bracket Finals. The team now has the chance to make history by becoming just one of two organizations to win The International twice, and to make Topson the only three-time TI winner in history. Stand-in teammate Saksa will also become a two-time winner with a victory in the finals.
Whatever happens, it’s been a historic run for Tundra. With a stand-in, and a roster made up of a gathering of prodigal talent, Tundra has beaten the odds and now stands on the cusp of overall victory.
