Look Sports Media – Tundra Esports’ The International 2025 run ended abruptly with a decisive 2-0 defeat against Heroic in the playoffs. This follows their earlier 2-0 loss to tournament favorites Xtreme Gaming in the upper bracket, leaving them with a disappointing 7th-8th place finish. The elimination sparked a wave of online discussion, particularly highlighting the irony of their earlier play-in victory over Team Liquid, a team many considered a pre-tournament favorite.
The team faced significant challenges heading into TI2025. Just three days before the event, Matthew "Whitemon" Filemon was unable to attend due to visa issues, forcing Tundra to field stand-in Tobias "Tobi" Buchner. Despite Tobi’s impressive performance, including a stand-in stint earlier in the year for Team Liquid where he helped them achieve notable results, it wasn’t enough to secure Tundra’s success at Dota 2’s most prestigious tournament.
The post-match interview with Neta "33" Shapira revealed a candid assessment of their shortcomings. While acknowledging Tobi’s strong performance, 33 admitted that Tundra struggled to adapt to Heroic’s unique and aggressive playstyle, despite anticipating it. He also expressed his apologies to the fans for the disappointing end to their season.
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The question now facing Tundra is whether their TI2025 failure points to a need for roster changes. While Whitemon’s absence undoubtedly impacted the team, some fans believe deeper systemic issues, such as a tendency to lose control in the mid-to-late game, contributed to their downfall. Despite a successful year with wins at BLAST Slam II & III and Fissure Playground 1, their performance at TI2025 raises serious questions about their ability to compete at the highest level. The coming weeks will likely reveal whether Tundra opts for significant roster adjustments or seeks to address their strategic weaknesses internally.
Darragh Harbinson, Senior Editor
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