Cover-Credits:
Starladder and ESL
Dota 2 organizations have been scrambling to get their team compositions right for the 2024 season. We saw many new teams step into the Dota 2 pro scene, some teams going through complete revamps while some exited the scene altogether. Amidst these changes and a sea of rumors, a new one has emerged.
A new rumor suggested that former Nigma Galaxy offlaner Ivan "MinD_ContRoL" Ivanov and inactive Tundra esports player Topias "Topson" Taavitsainen could play together in Tundra Esports’ new roster for 2024. This was published by a Russian telegram channel “Pint of Dark.”
New Rumor Leaks Potential Tundra Esports Roster
On 5th January, new rumors about the potential new Tundra Esports roster surfaced on a Russian Telegram channel. The post suggested that three Russian players could reportedly play alongside veterans MinD_ContRoL and Topson.
The post read, “If rumors are to be believed, Tundra will have three Russian players: Xakoda, 9Class, and Pure for $500,000. They will be accompanied by MC and Topson.”
As a result, the rumored Tundra Esports team could feature:
Ivan "Pure" Moskalenko
Topias "Topson" Taavitsainen
Ivan "MinD_ContRoL" Ivanov
Edgar "9Class" Naltakyan
Egor "Xakoda" Lipartiya
The post further added, “Considering that the Tundra organization has Russian roots, it looks quite likely. I'd like to see Xakoda break into the top team, as I've always liked him for his style of play.”
Tundra Esports is one of the few teams that underwent drastic roster changes after The International 2023. It released its TI12 roster after the conclusion of the tournament and adopted Team Undying a day before ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023. However, the organization released the roster within a month of signing, only retaining Matthew "Whitemon" Filemon as its sole, active player.
On 2nd January, Tundra Esports officially announced the departure of Enzo "Timado" Gianoli, Jonathan Bryle "Bryle" De Guia, Ilyas "kasane" Gainullin, Aleksandr "Immersion" Khmelevskoi, and coach David "MoonMeander" Tan.
If this new rumor about Tundra holds substance, it would mean Whitemon’s exit is definite. Tundra Esports also confirmed its participation in the upcoming BetBoom Dacha 2024 Dubai closed qualifiers in a recent tweet. Keeping in mind that the BetBoom Dacha closed qualifiers are slated to kick off on the 11th January, we may very well see the newly revamped Tundra Esports roster in action in the coming days. However, until then, Tundra Esports fans should take these speculations and rumors with a pinch of salt.
