Tundra Esports, the TI11 champions have been eliminated from TI12 after suffering a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Entity.
Entity has defeated the The International 2022 champions Tundra Esports 2-0 at TI12 in a surprise upset of last year’s winners. Tundra found themselves eliminated during Lower Bracket Round 1 of the Playoffs, having been knocked down in Group Stage.
But to start off the series, it looked like a foregone conclusion. Tundra Esports, last year’s champions, were one of the winningest teams at TI. Their mid laner, the on-loan Topias "Topson" Taavitsainen, is two-time TI winner, and their coach, Kurtis "Aui_2000" Ling has won TI as both a coach and player. Against them stood Entity, a squad who have battled to be in the top echelons of Western European Dota, but rarely come out as victors.
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Tundra breaks and falls at TI12
Tundra started game one in great fashion, building a lead on the back of Topson’s domination of Daniel "Stormstormer" Schoetzau’s Invoker. With Entity on the back foot, the team fas forced to pick a desperate fight in the mid lane at 27 minutes. But this was the crucial turning point, and Entity took control of the game. From there, it was down hill for Tundra who dropped game two.
In game two, Tundra went back to a tried and tested format for them: Play til late-game. But with an energized Entity facing them, there was no waiting until late. With aggressive picks like the Batrider, Vengeful Spirit, Kunkka, and Undying, there was just so much catch on the side of Entity. While Tundra built up a steady lead, and even looked in control for much of the game, they were never able to aggress on Entity, leading to their defeat 42 minutes in.
With the victory, Entity progress to the Lower Bracket Round 2, and have a chance to make it into the top-eight of the tournament.
With Tundra’s defeat at, over half of the past TI-winners have been eliminated from TI12. Only Team Spirit, BetBoom’s Torontotokyo, and LGD’s Y’ remain.
Entity face EEU powerhouse Virtus.pro later today to decide who continues in The International 2023. Stick with esports.gg for more coverage of TI12.
