“Just Better,” Says Tundra 9Class, Beats OG in ESL One Birmingham 2024 WEU Qualifier Final

The ESL One Birmingham 2024: Western Europe (WEU) Closed Qualifier grand final saw Tundra Esports defeat OG in a thrilling final to advance to the main event. Due to its core players' versatility, Tundra could control this series for the greater part of the series with formidable drafts. Even in the single game it lost it was ahead, before OG managed to come back and win. Tundra Esports' support player, Edgar "9Class" Naltakian, who was constantly tipped in the series, particularly in the fourth game, wrote a cheeky "just better" remark in the all-chat as the team approached victory in the fourth game of the series, sealing a 3-1 triumph.

Tundra Esports vs OG: Match recap and highlights

Recap

In game 1, MinD_ContRo delivered one of the better performances in recent times, leading the team in ganks and teamfights throughout. With a relatively slower draft on OG, Tundra cycled regularly before the opponents could achieve their first item timings, gaining a 15k advantage in 15 minutes. As OG uncovered more effective ways to capitalize on the map, the disadvantage diminished whilst Tundra's level of aggressiveness also decreased. Both teams took their time, and OG had a fairly potent teamfight lineup, but Tundra triumphed in 53 minutes thanks to its flawless teamfight execution.

In game 2, OG used an unorthodox draft consisting of an out of meta mid Mirana and an offlane Phoenix. There were skirmishes from the start, and both sides traded blows, leaving the game evenly matched at the 15 minute mark. However, that is when Pure's Alchemist came through and paved the way for Tundra. The squad had a very clear plan for prioritizing the right heroes in combat. OG's draft was not the greatest when playing from behind, and it counted on early control to take over the game, which did not materialize, as it was rolled over in the later stages, losing in 33 minutes.

In game 3, OG was the early aggressor, taking down Pure's Lone Druid three times in the first seven minutes and tallying 11 kills in the first ten minutes. This helped the team acquire an early advantage, but a significant teamfight defeat just as it was building traction shifted the tide in Tundra's favor. It allowed the squad to find farm when the pace dropped it eventually lead to an 11k advantage in 40 minutes. With cores on both sides possessing significant items, it all came down to teamfight execution, which OG's supports and Wisper on Primal Beast set up perfectly to help take the win in 54 minutes.

Game 4 saw a seesaw battle with both teams relinquishing leads whenever appearing ahead. Wisper got OG off to a solid start with kills on Meepo, but given the hero's strength in the current patch, it did not take him long to ascend to the top of the networth table. Tundra held the lead, but lost a huge teamfight in the enemy base and later at the Roshan pit, allowing OG to recover. As the game went, the team that had the right initiations came out on top, and a great play by Tundra near its base enabled it to teamwipe OG and rush to its base, allowing it to win in 40 minutes.

Highlights

Here are some highlights of the series.

OG and Tundra Esports had qualified for DreamLeague Season 22 with three slots available, but Tundra avenged its loss to the former in the grand final of BetBoom Dacha Dubai 2024: WEU Closed Qualifier with this win. OG, who had been playing for a while, was a far stronger squad than Tundra's newly formed group at the time. However, over time, Tundra has shown improvement.

In this ESL One Birmingham qualifier series, the viewers also witnessed banter, and 9Class, who had been consistently tipped, had the final laugh. OG did reference the BetBoom Dacha qualifier in a response on Twitter.

While Tundra will take a break until the DreamLeague begins in late February 2024, OG will return in a few days, with flights to Dubai booked, as BetBoom Dacha begins on 4th Feb.

ESL One Birmingham 2024, on the other hand, takes place in April 2024.