Cover-Credits:
Entity
As the final day of The International 2023 (TI12) playoffs weekend concluded, Entity, in a show of surprise managed, to eliminate the defending TI champion Tundra Esports out of the tournament.
With Tundra leaving the tournament, Topias "Topson" Taavitsainen's hopes of becoming a three-times TI winner and Tundra’s chance to be the second team to win TI back-to-back vanished into thin air.
Entity’s Patience and Art of Seizing the Opportunity
The TI12 lower bracket playoff round 1’s final match witnessed Entity vs Tundra Esports. Both teams were fighting for a chance to march towards the coveted Aegis of the Immortal. Tundra Esports, the TI11 champion, was a fan favorite and one of the favored teams to win this year’s The International.
Earlier in the tournament, Tundra lost to an underdog team, nouns, and dropped down to the lower bracket. Tundra fans were shocked to find history repeating itself in such a short span as another underdog team, Entity, kicked the powerhouse squad out after a clean 2-0 series.
Game 1 saw Tundra with the upper hand in the game and dominating Entity. Tundra’s Neta "33" Shapira on his Sandking, and Jingjun "Sneyking" Wu on Grimstroke posed a major threat throughout the map as they single-handedly went around the map killing anyone on their path. With a solid 13,000 gold lead over Entity, Tundra seemed destined to win the first game.
However, at the 27th-minute mark, as Tundra pushed on to attack Entity’s base, Tundra’s Leon "Nine" Kirilin was alone in the middle lane cutting the creep wave on Weaver. Entity saw this as a moment to enact its comeback and so it looked to capitalize on this opening so beautifully. This led the entire Tundra Esports team to engage in a team fight that led to a 4-man wipe on Tundra’s side. This pivotal moment was the beginning of the end for Tundra.
The momentum swiftly shifted in favor of Entity and Alimzhan "watson" Islambekov’s Naga Siren was farmed enough at this point that Naga became unkillable. The beautiful symphony of skills displayed by Entity during this match can only be coined as a masterclass or top-tier Dota.
With Kim "Gabbi" Santos’s Primal beast front lining in the team fights and Watson’s Naga Siren along with Daniel "Stormstormer" Schoetzau’s Invoker dealing massive damage, Tundra Esports finally conceded defeat at the 48th-minute mark as it called GG after losing a series of teamfights.
Learning from its mistakes in Game 1, Tundra tried to better its strategy. It opted to play a similar style to Game 1, which was to push on early and assert map dominance. But Entity, having learned its lesson, was quick to respond and defend its towers, taking fights early on and maintaining an equal equilibrium throughout the game.
Entity was patient with its game as it focused on holding its ground as it cores got their key items. Finally, at the 40th-minute mark, Entity decided to group up and head for a teamfight. They were greeted by Tundra Esports, smoked up and ready for battle in the midlane river.
The outcome of this skirmish was heavily in favor of Entity as it managed to beautifully catch the off-position Alchemist played by Tundra’s Oliver "skiter" Lepko. With this momentum, it marched on, with a trampling aura and the passion for victory.
Tundra failed to defend its base and bid adieu to its journey at The International 2023 (TI12).
Snekying from Tundra Esports shared a heartfelt message for Tundra fans, promising to come back stronger in the next season.
The International 2023 has been full of surprises as underdog teams have reminded the public why they are at The International. These teams have time and again proved their competency. Bearing witness to such events transpiring before our very eyes, we can safely assume this year’s TI12 is indeed one of a kind as any team could snatch the Aegis from the hands of a favored team.
Tune in this weekend to watch the Finals weekend and the Main Event to find out which team is crowned TI12 champion.
