There won’t be a three-peat for 33, and China is left with only one team competing in The International 2025. This is now the most unpredictable TI in years.
It was the day of the underdogs, as HEROIC and Nigma Galaxy managed to join The International 2025 top six teams. It wasn't the best year for either of these teams, and despite their rough start during the Swiss Stage, they managed to make it into the playoffs.
At the start of the tournament, many expected this to be the year of China. Tidebound and Xtreme Gaming dominated every game in the Road to TI, but the first started to show signs of weakness after their 2-0 defeat against Team Falcons.
On the other hand, Tundra's rough start was a sign of what happened in their Lower Bracket game. The European team played as the favorites against HEROIC. However, they were unable to beat the South American team twice: First, a 2-0 defeat during the group stage, and now, another 2-0 defeat. With this result, there won't be a three-time TI champion for another year.
The end of 33's three-peat, HEROIC to TI 2025's top six
Tundra played almost every Tier 1 tournament this year. They managed to get good placements and even won two BLAST Slams and one FISSURE Playground. HEROIC was the opposite. Their highest placement was a top-eight placement at the first FISSURE Playground by the start of the year.
Despite this backstory, HEROIC's victory shouldn't be a surprise for anyone. The absence of Matthew "Whitemon" Filemon was a strong hit for Tundra. They managed to join the best eight teams at TI 2025, but the top six seemed like an impossible task. The first game was almost a stomp in favor of the SA team. And the second, a show of versatility with picks like Broodmother and Pudge.
The second game was marred by a single blooper by Remco "Crystallis" Arets, in which he encountered an unexpected bug that caused him to get stuck in his own portal. This was followed by a hook and a kill on his Underlord, giving HEROIC the upper hand. Tundra didn't recover after this and gave HEROIC the chance to join the top six teams at TI 2025.
Nigma puts an end to Tidebound's dreams
Just like HEROIC, it was a horrible year for Nigma Galaxy. The lack of slots for the MENA region forced them to play the WEU qualifiers. Despite showing improvement throughout the year, it was close to impossible for them to qualify for any Tier 1 tournament. However, Kuroky's role change from player to coach gave the team a new beginning. They managed to barely qualify for TI 2025 and survive the Swiss Stage by beating Aurora with a 2-1 score.
Tidebound didn't achieve multiple titles, but started their Road to TI with a 4-1 total score, only beaten by their regional rivals: Xtreme Gaming. But this wasn't enough for them during the playoffs. Their first defeat happened against a team they had already beaten before, Team Falcons. And just the next day, Nigma surprised them with fresh ideas and two thirty-minute games.
The stomp included two Medusa picks for Ghost: a hero other teams prefer to ban. However, Tidebound tried to control it with heroes like Underlord or Sand King. This strategy wasn't enough to stop Kuro's boys, and they scored the quick 2-0. But the real hype moment was SumaiL playing Muerta to jeopardize Tidebound's draft.
To advance, Nigma will have to beat Xtreme Gaming, and HEROIC is set to face the powerful BetBoom Team. Follow the games live with us and check all our TI 2025 content in our Dota 2 section!
