Not dropped post-TI! Aui re-signs with Tundra in an extension that will see him coach the team throughout 2023.
Kurtis "Aui_2000" Ling, the coach and mastermind behind Tundra Esports The International (TI) 2022 victory, has extended his contract for the foreseeable future. The news was revealed by official release today.
Aui_2000 joined the team at the end of 2021 and quickly became a key piece of the Tundra Esports lineup, eventually coaching the team to a TI11 victory and helping the squad take home an $8.5 million share of the prize pool.
Aui_2000 is only the player in Dota 2 history to have won TI as both a coach and a player, lifting the aegis in both 2015 and 2022.
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Aui_2000 avoids the post-TI drop from Tundra
Perhaps one of the most infamous moments of Aui_2000’s career came after Tl 2015, where he was unceremoniously dropped from Evil Geniuses after winning the event. But Aui_2000 quickly bounced back and had a great run with Digital Chaos before becoming a perennial feature on many teams.
Aui_2000 has flipped between coach and player a lot in his decade-long career, but seems excited to continue in the coaching role for Tundra Esports.
“I am thrilled to be extending my contract with Tundra Esports! Winning The International 11 earlier this year cemented the team as one of the strongest DOTA 2 rosters globally. Not only are we a strong competitive force but we have also formed a close bond as friends. If everything goes as planned I think we will for sure be championship contenders at TI12!” he said.
“It’s been one of the best journeys of my life watching the players grow and come together into a TI winning squad and I’m incredibly proud and hopeful looking towards the future.”
Aui_2000 and the rest of Tundra Esports will start their journey towards a repeat performance at TI12 on Jan. 9, 2023, as they take on OG in a landmark start to the Western Europe Dota Pro Circuit (WEU DPC) season.
