You��ve all been saying it, and now we��re saying it.
Welcome two-time TI champion, the myth, the legend,@TopsonDota for TI12 #TundraTopson pic.twitter.com/XSbljEJPYs
— TUNDRA (@TundraEsports) September 7, 2023
This significant change in their roster comes shortly after Martin “Saksa” Sazdov revealed he would be taking a break from competitive gaming due to undisclosed health issues.
In response to this change, Tundra Esports is restructuring its team for the upcoming season to accommodate Topson, whom they believe will bolster their pursuit of another championship title.
Topson will take on the midlane role, while Leon “Nine” Kirilin transitions to a position four role.
This shift is a notable adjustment compared to previous seasons when Wu “Sneyking” Jingjun switched to position five to make room for Saksa in the soft support role.
Rumors of Topson joining Tundra had been circulating since August, especially when it seemed likely that Old G, Topson’s previous team, might disband.
Topson confirmed that he would not participate in the The International 12 qualifiers.
Nine had been seen playing position four heroes and rotating frequently in games, fuelling speculation about Saksa’s break and Topson’s potential involvement with Tundra, a team he had briefly stood in for at BetBoom Universe Episode One in February, albeit with a different line up.
This marks Topson’s return to The International after stepping away from OG’s main roster in November 2021 to prioritize family obligations.
He made a comeback by playing for T1 during the Southeast Asian qualifiers and the last chance qualifier for TI11 last season.
The revamped Tundra lineup, featuring Topson, will make its debut at DreamLeague Season 21 on September 18th.
This event will serve as their preparation before heading to Seattle to focus on TI12, which begins on October 12th.
]]>Due to health reasons, they have made the tough decision to move Martin “Saksa” Sazdov out of the roster.
This decision comes after Saksa had to be substituted multiple times during the season due to health issues that first arose back in June.
In a heartfelt statement, Tundra expressed their sadness regarding Saksa’s departure from the team, emphasizing their wishes for his swift recovery.
They also acknowledged the crucial role he played in their victorious journey at The International and assured him that he will forever remain a cherished part of their family.
We are sad to announce @saksadota will be taking an extended break due to health reasons and will not be on our active roster. We wish him all the healing and success possible.
Thank you, Martin, for playing a pivotal role in our TI victory. You��ll forever be a part of our�� pic.twitter.com/l3uFrGHTJU
— TUNDRA (@TundraEsports) September 6, 2023
While it’s not uncommon for teams to make adjustments during a season, it’s quite rare for the reigning TI champions to do so just before defending their title.
Tundra has yet to announce who will step in to replace Saksa, but they are fully aware of the urgency, with TI12 only a month away.
Although Tundra have chosen to drop Saska from its roster, they are still equal-third favourites with most esports betting sites at $8.00 to take out T112.
]]>The signings were revealed on Wednesday during OG’s live-streamed talk show, where team captain Johan “N0tail” Sundstein and his former teammate S��bastien “Ceb” Debs talked about the organisation��s plans going forward.
MidOne is a 23-year-old Malaysian pro who is renowned for becoming the first player from South East Asia to reach an 8,000 matchmaking rating (MMR) in ranked play. His professional Dota 2 esports career started in December 2015 when he joined Fnatic. MidOne later moved to Team Secret, where he spent over three years until he left the squad in December 2019.
Having played as a solo middle throughout his career, MidOne will switch to the offlane position at his new team. That should not cause him too many issues, seeing how he started the transition process while playing with some smaller SEA rosters in the off-season.
Saksa is one of the most interesting players on the OG roster. The 24-year-old support first appeared in the Dota competitive scene back in 2014 and has since played for 15 teams, which includes a short stint as head coach of HellRaisers back in July 2017. Saksa most recently played at Ninjas in Pyjamas alongside Peter “ppd” Dager and brings a lot of experience to the OG roster as they chase their third consecutive TI title in Stockholm later this year.
The two new arrivals are the only two members of OG who have not yet hoisted the Aegis of Champions. MidOne’s best placement at The International came in 2019, when he finished fourth, while Saksa claimed silver with Digital Chaos in 2016.
The announcement of MidOne’s and Saksa’s arrival comes only a day after OG unveiled ex-Evil Geniuses player and TI5 champion Syed “SumaiL” Hassan. SumaiL is widely regarded as one of the best Dota players in the world, having lifted his first TI title at only 16 years of age. He arrived at OG in order to help fill the void left behind by the departure of three key members who left OG over the course of the last week.
OG’s roster started to crumble on Saturday, January 25, when Anathan “ana” Pham announced he will be extending his break from the Dota 2 competitive scene for the entirety of 2019/20 Dota Pro Circuit season. Jesse “JerAx” Vainikka announced his retirement a day later, while Ceb revealed on Monday that he had stepped down from the playing squad.
“It is time for me to take a step back, and remove myself from the active roster,” said Ceb.
“I will be taking a role within OG in which I will be able to help all teams and players with increasing their performance.
“Whether it is DotA or CSGO, OG is now a home for great champions to come.”
Heading into the 2019/20 DPC season, OG will field a much different roster to that which won two TI titles in as many years. That said, the new quintet brings together some of the best and most experienced players in the Dota 2 esports scene. The first test for the new OG roster will come at the ESL One Los Angeles Major qualifiers, which will take off on Sunday, February 9.
OG Dota 2 roster:
Sumail “SumaiL” Hassan
Topias “Topson” Taavitsainen
Yeik “MidOne” Nai Zheng
Martin “Saksa” Sazdov
Johan “N0tail” Sundstein