ESL One Fall 2021: Tundra Esports Are the Champions after Thriller against PSG.LGD

A thrilling grand final between Tundra Esports and PSG.LGD ended in a 3-2 victory for Tundra Esports in the ESL One Fall 2021: Bootcamp Edition. In the grand finals, two of the most versatile squads in the event displayed impressive drafting abilities, incredible map maneuvers, and excellent teamfighting skills. In the end, it was Tundra Esports who won the enormously competitive series. Leon "Nine" Kirilin, the team's midlaner, was hands down the MVP of the event, as he delivered some breathtaking performances on heroes such as Batrider and Keeper of the Light. Tundra Esports wins $175,000 USD while PSG.LGD takes home $85,000 in prize money.

Tundra Esports vs PSG.LGD: Match recap and highlights

Recap

In Game 1, Tundra Esports completely outplayed PSG.LGD, punishing the team's unorthodox draft strategy. Xiao8 had a decent performance in the event with his mid Spirit Breaker, however, Tundra snuck in a mid Monkey King as a counter pick to take advantage of it. Overall, the Chinese squad needed very high execution, but Tundra just ran them over to win in 32 minutes.

Game 2 was a chaotic event that saw both teams fighting relentlessly. Tundra Esports had a Gyrocopter at position five, while PSG.LGD had an offlane Vengeful Spirit and a Monkey King at position four. Tundra Esports had very little damage through BKBs, while Nine's decision not to take physical damage on his mid Magnus backfired. The two teams displayed good map maneuvers and skills during the teamfights, but it was PSG.LGD that prevailed and won in 44 minutes.

Game 3 was all about Ame as he cruised through the laning stage, then farmed like a madman, and eventually sliced through enemy heroes like a knife. The game that began with a silent laning phase quickly escalated in PSG.LGD's favor, as they out farmed their opponents and won in 27 minutes.

In Game 4, Tundra gained a draft advantage with Templar Assassin as their last pick. There were not many damage instances to be concerned about, so the hero rose in the networth chart. PSG.LGD, however, managed to hold on to the game with great spellcasting and target prioritization, but Tundra just became a touch too strong in the late game to win in 48 minutes.

In Game 5, a bizarre sight occurred following the drafting stage when PSG.LGD put XinQ on a Storm Spirit to play in the midlane instead of xiao8. Throughout the game, there was a lot of combat and both teams had to find the right vision for teamfights. Tundra's cores grew stronger in comparison to PSG.LGD's, leading them to a 47-minute victory.

Highlights

Here are some highlights of the series.

Tundra Esports may have just sprung but they are indeed looking quite competitive and formidable. Both Nine, as well as Captain Adrian "Fata" Trinks, demonstrated immense versatility in their hero choices. Also, the manner in which they handled these heroes was really impressive. Tundra Esports' absence from The International 10 (TI10) may disappoint Dota 2 fans considering their recent prowess.

Meanwhile, PSG.LGD continues to show off its incredible understanding of the Dota 2 meta game giving everyone a run for their money despite having their coach standing in for them. The team certainly looks extremely formidable heading into the OGA DOTA PIT Invitational and subsequently the International 10.