At The International 2022 in Dota 2, the professional team Tundra achieved a historic victory. They won the finals 3:0, something that had only been accomplished by one other team before. They also played outstandingly in the preliminary rounds. Their only German player has some peculiar advice for those he has inspired.
What kind of tournament is this?
- The International is the largest esports tournament in the world in terms of prize money. In 2019, over 34 million dollars were awarded, and in 2021, over 40 million – the largest prize pool in esports history. Back then, a Russian team won, and Putin personally congratulated them.
- In 2022, 20 teams from around the world competed for nearly 19 million euros.
- This year’s victory was claimed by the international team Tundra Esports. They made their winning streak look quite easy.
What the pro says: After the victory, several Tundra players were interviewed. The 24-year-old Slovenian Oliver “skiter” Lepko noted that he had to put in more effort on other occasions than in this tournament.
Shortly thereafter, the 24-year-old Leon “Nine” Kirilin, a German-Russian player from Tundra, was asked for tips. He is now an inspiration for many, and people want to know what he advises those who look up to him. The brief answer: “Get good.”
The audience, however, doesn’t seem to be really upset by that. The fans cheer loudly, with perhaps a bit of indignation audible in the applause:
Tundra achieves historic victory, wins finals without a loss
Throughout the tournament, Tundra Esports only lost 5 times to their opponents in individual rounds, but did not lose a single match. The team has a win rate of 82.1, the fourth highest in DOTA 2 history (via Twitter).
However, the highlight of the tournament was the finals, in which Tundra faced off against opponent Team Secret. In the finals of The International, a “Best Of 5” was played, where the first team to win 3 matches wins. Tundra secured these 3 victories in a row, without a loss.
Such a “sweep” has only happened once before in the past, in 2017, when Team Liquid defeated the opponent Newbee. Consequently, both players and fans were extremely delighted.
Things went much tighter at the largest tournament of competitor League of Legends. There, a mistake led to the champion’s defeat:
LoL Worlds 2022: The best player in the world takes risks, fails, and loses the championship
