With High-Fives and Sprays, Tundra’s Players were having a blast. This was Virtus.Pro’s first game loss at ESL One Fall 2021.
The upper bracket final match at ESL One Fall was a David vs Goliath setup. On one hand we have Virtus.Pro, a team that was yet to taste defeat at the tournament. Facing them was Tundra Esports, by far, an underdog and the team that has brought some exciting plays to this event.
What followed through was a massive upset, one that sets up an exciting Grand Finals to the $400,000 Dota 2 event.
Game 1 - Support Nightstalker sprays his way to victory
The first game started with a bang. A Nightstalker pick that left Virtus.Pro confused and wondering about Tundra’s draft. But Tundra put Adrian "Fata" Trinks on the Night stalker and he was constantly an irritation for Virtus.pro. Playing as the position 5, he leeched XP off the VP stacks and was always emoting on the ground.
As much as he was having fun, the rest of the squad were quite serious with their farm and getting timings on their items. The panel had some doubts about Tundra’s draft, especially after Virtus.Pro would get multiple BKBs. But Tundra took a massive lead much before Virtus.pro could hit their timing.
Nine’s Batrider dominated the mid-lane and roamed map setting up kills for the rest of the squad. Tundra used their superior night vision as well as mobility to juke around Virtus.Pro in the early game. Usually one of the stars on the VP lineup, Dmitry "DM" Dorokhin’s Kunkka had a very disappointing game. He ended game 1 with a 0-9 score and was pretty much a non-factor against Tundra.
Game 1 saw Tundra get an early lead and the European team continue to build on this lead throughout the game. With a final score of 40-9, Tundra’s dominance exhibited a better understanding of the drafts as well as the team’s peak timing.
Tundra handed Virtus.Pro its first loss of the tournament. But despite this upset, not many were of the opinion Tundra could 2-0 Virtus.Pro, the strongest team at the tournament.
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Game 2 - The Enigma and Doom story
Tundra picked Enigma and Doom for game 2, an unlikely duo for the offlane. Enigma went to the enemy jungle to farm. By the looks of it, Tundra had already sacrificed Doom’s lane who had a really slow start to the game. He had 6 creeps compared to Gryocopter’s 40 at one point in time. However, Enigma had free farm in the jungle and it helped keep Tundra’s overall networth competitive with that of Virtus.Pro’s.
Doom is a hero that can always catch up due to his Devour ability. Neta "33" Shapira getting two kills due to a Leon "Nine" Kirilin’s rotation at 8:15 helped boost his networth. He went with a Hand of Midas into a Blink dagger.
Gyrocopter had a great start to the game, but was always Doom’s target. A hero that had such a bad start in the laning phase dominated the game due to the strength of his ultimate. Gyro's game went south very soon and the rest of the squad fell off as well. Tundra’s understanding of their peak timing allowed them to build items for a mid-game finish. The team did not want to go late against Virtus.Pro, especially as they realized they are much more stronger in the mid-game.
Throughout the game, the Tundra boys had a lot of fun and it was evident in their playstyle. From Sprays on the ground to High-Fives, the spirits were high in the Tundra camp.
Tundra move to Grand Finals, VP gets another chance
With this victory, Tundra secures a spot in the Grand finals of the $400,000 event. Virtus.Pro falls to the lower bracket, where they will face the winner of PSG.LGD and T1 esports.
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