Team Aster Eliminates TI11 Champions Tundra Esports From The Lima Major

Team Aster defeated The International 11 (TI11) champion Tundra Esports 2-1 in the lower bracket of the playoffs to continue its Lima Major 2023 quest. Tundra is ousted from the event after finishing 9th-12th, a significant decline from its success a few months before when it won TI11. Both teams displayed dominant performances, with Aster stomping game one and Tundra meticulously winning game two. With the series on the line, the reigning TI11 champions were inching closer to a victory but Aster rallied in the third game. Tundra is the first Western European (WEU) team to get eliminated from the Major.

Team Aster vs Tundra Esports: Match recap and highlights

Recap

In game 1, the laning phase was rather uneventful, with the exception of Sneyking's Phoenix dying four times in the first 11 minutes. The game looked to be evenly poised, with both teams farming until Aster's teamfight win at the 17-minute mark swung the tide dramatically in its favor. Aster understood Tundra lacked damage early on with a Lifestealer carry and mid Dragon Knight and kept pushing the pace to create a lead. Tundra lost heroes every time it decided or was forced to battle, and with only 5 kills to Aster's 27, it lost the first game after 34 minutes.

In game 2, Aster had a solid start with critical kills in the laning phase. Xwy performed admirably in the midlane on Storm Spirit versus Nine's Batrider, killing him twice alone. Yet Tundra was still farming on its cores, and a fast Roshan kill let the team get back on track. Aster's draft was not well positioned to play from the backfoot, therefore it was forced to relinquish a big portion of the map as Tundra farmed all around. Despite being substantially ahead, Tundra played as cautiously as it could and eventually finished the game in 51 minutes after having a net worth lead of more than 60,000.

In game 3, Tundra opted for a surprising Gyrocopter pick as a response to Aster's Enigma decision. In response, Aster finished its draft with two ranged cores, Drow Ranger and Templar Assassin, to counter Gyrocopter. Nonetheless, Tundra's superior teamfighting and ability to play the map with flawless execution propelled it far ahead in the game. Tundra was on the verge of winning with a 14k advantage at 34 minutes, but Aster came back with its high physical damage cores to stun its opponents. Despite an early disadvantage, Aster’s plan of simply holding the game worked quite well, as it triumphed in 48 minutes.

Highlights

Here are some highlights of the series.

Tundra will be disappointed with not advancing to the playoffs or earn any Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) points despite the patch being primarily the same as TI11. After narrowly advancing past the group stage, the team was not able to mount the fightback that was expected of it in the playoffs.

Aster certainly held its own after being heavily defeated by Gaimin Gladiators in the upper bracket. Coming into the Major, the team was a favorite, and will be hoping to make a strong showing in its run in the lower bracket.

On 3rd March, the team will face the victor of Beastcoast versus Evil Geniuses. Because this series will result in just one South American team left in the Major, Aster will face a packed home audience in the matchup.