Tundra Esports added their name to the aegis after winning The International 11, here’s what we learned watching their meteoric rise to the top.
The International 11 is over, and Tundra Esports are the new champions of the world. Nine and the other 4 members of his team were flawless and won the tournament without losing a single series. Tundra played some of the most dominant Dota 2 in the last couple of years and definitely deserved to win the event.
Tundra’s victory and the end of TI 11 mean that it is time for the post-TI period. Aside from the fact that some players are sad that they can’t watch the best teams in action, this is also the time when some squads will make tons of changes.
We are yet to see which teams will add and remove players from their rosters. Until then, let’s go through a couple of important things we’ve learned from The International 11 now that the event is over.
You don’t always need to follow the meta to be successful
We are TI CHAMPIONS
— skiter (@Skiter) October 30, 2022
The first and probably the most important thing that people learned after the end of The International 11 is that you don’t always need to follow the meta. Even though it is a good idea to pick the strongest heroes in the patch, there are cases where you are better off getting something else.
Tundra Esports was the best example because the team used a combination of all kinds of heroes. One of the reasons why Nine and co. won the event is because they were unpredictable. Even when teams banned some of their best heroes, Tundra found something to play, and it wasn’t that popular in the meta.
The fact that you didn’t perform well prior to TI doesn’t mean you won’t do well there
No one expected us to qualify for The International, yet alone making it this far into the tournament.
This isn’t the underdog story we wanted but we’re thankful for all the support throughout this journey 🖤 #SecretDota #TI11 pic.twitter.com/v0cP8J1AyB
— Team Secret @ #TI11 (@teamsecret) October 30, 2022
One of the most important things that we’ve seen at The International 11 is that you don’t have to perform well prior to this event to be successful. Many teams proved it, including Tundra Esports. Even though the champions were among the best in Europe earlier in the DPC, the team didn’t do much before TI. In fact, some people even expected 33 and the rest to be eliminated from the groups.
However, it seems like the players took the time to learn more about the current meta and how it works. As a result, Tundra Esports dominated everyone and deserved to win the most prestigious Dota 2 event.
Aside from the TI champions, we also have to mention Team Secret and Team Liquid. The teams that finished second and third did not receive a direct invitation for The International 11. Instead, they had to compete in the Last Chance Qualifier, finishing first and second, respectively.
Despite not being among the directly invited squads, Secret and Liquid ripped through their enemies and deserved a top 3 finish.
The lack of LAN experience has an effect on your performance
Thank you so much everybody who came to our signing session yesterday.
Here are all the pictures that were taken, available for you to download!
📂 https://t.co/edO0BpEx6D pic.twitter.com/siCrwY2Um6
— OG (@OGesports) October 31, 2022
Tundra Esports was not among the favorites, but the same can’t be said about OG, the young squad from Western Europe. Bzm and the rest took the professional Dota 2 scene by storm after winning the first Major of the DPC. Ammar and co. continued to dominate after that and also won the last LAN event prior to The International 11.
These results made OG one of the favorites, so people expected them to shine. Even though the team qualified for the Upper Bracket, it wasn’t powerful enough to eliminate its opponents and had to leave the tournament.
Team Liquid eliminated OG in a series where the latter had little to no problems. In the interview following the end of the tournament, a player from Team Liquid said that he expected more from OG’s squad. However, it seems like the pressure of playing on the big stage was too much for the young squad, which is why they couldn’t show everything they were capable of.
Western Europe is clearly in a league of its own
“You should never pursue something blindly if you don’t enjoy the process of getting there.”
Thank you for letting us take this journey with you @MATUMBAMAN 💙 pic.twitter.com/03qbJRLvHy
— Team Liquid (@TeamLiquid) October 30, 2022
One of the biggest controversies in Dota 2 is related to the different regions and their power distribution. Some people criticize Valve for favoring Western Europe, but The International 11 proved once again that this region is in a league of its own.
For starters, the top 3 teams at The International 11 are all from Western Europe. We also have to remember that two WEU teams won the Last Chance Qualifiers, and most of the directly invited squads were also from this region.
None of the WEU teams were eliminated in the Group Stage, and the only reason why there weren’t more teams from WEU in the LB was that OG, Gaming Gladiators, Entity, and Liquid had to face each other.
Although people from WEU are happy with the results, most Dota 2 fans hope that the other regions will eventually catch up. Judging from the series between WEU teams and those from other parts of the world, others have a lot to learn.
People must respect South America
Gracias SA⚡️
Caímos ante @TeamLiquid, dando por concluida nuestra participación en este TI, no tenemos palabras para agradecerles todo el apoyo que nos hicieron llegar, SA llego a todo el mundo chicos, nos llevamos la admiración y la curiosidad de toda la escena #FEELTHETHUNDER pic.twitter.com/Gl16VohWyc— THUNDER I @ THE INTERNATIONAL MOOD (@ThunderAwaken_) October 23, 2022
While we are on the topic of Dota 2 regions, we have to mention that the results at TI 11 prove once again that people have to respect South America. There is no arguing that this is the most underrated region because a SA team has yet to win a big event. However, Thunder Awaken and beastcoast proved that they are among the best in the world and definitely have a positive impact on the South American Dota 2 region.
Although SA earned the respect of fans worldwide, the region has one big problem – the difference between the teams. There is no arguing that TA, BC, and Hokori are among the best, but this does not imply the rest. Unlike Western Europe, where every single team can defeat the rest, the situation in South America is different.
The fact that The International 11 is over is no doubt disappointing. However, the new DPC is just around the corner and we’re expecting Valve to announce more information about it soon. The top teams in the world will probably take a break, but there are loads of Tier 2 and Tier 3 events that people can punt on. So, make sure you check some of the best Dota 2 betting sites to learn more.