Entity eliminates Tundra Esports from The International 2023
Tundra Esports had a mixed bag of results throughout the DPC season. However, just before The International 2023, the team underwent a roster shuffle, bringing in a back-to-back TI champion.
Tundra Esports lifting the Aegis of Champions at The International 2022.Credits: Valve
Initially, this move made Tundra Esports one of the most formidable teams in the tournament. Likewise, their performance before and during The International 2023 showed great potential.
However, an unexpected defeat in the seeding decider series put the defending champions in the lower bracket for the mainstage. Unfortunately, they got eliminated in their first lower-bracket series.
The Series
Entity at The International 2023.The lower bracket series always tends to be intense as elimination is on the line. Going into the series, Entity was the underdog as they were going up against the defending champions. Despite the odds, the team didn’t crumble and stood their ground.
Game 1
Entity Offlaner Gabbi.In game 1, Tundra Esports went with a tempo-paced lineup with a Chaos Knight safelane and a Pugna midlane. They dominated the early stages, securing kills and objectives. However, the underdogs stayed calm and did not play into the champion's hand.
Instead of engaging in head-on fights, the underdogs split the map to slow down the game and gain more farm. They also avoided responding to Tundra's aggressive moves and waited patiently for their item timings.
At 27 minutes, they found an opportunity to strike and instantly executed their plan. As Tundra pushes the high ground, taking objectives, Entity smokes out on the map and catches the defending champions' back lines.
This manoeuvre forced the defending champions to react, ultimately putting them in a disadvantageous position. The underdogs then methodically dismantle Tundra’s heroes, making a remarkable comeback in the game.
The skirmishes that both teams took in the following minutes were lengthy and thorough. However, the defending champion’s line-up couldn’t even dent the underdogs, as Entity’s safelane Naga Siren was leading in net worth and itemisation.
After securing Aegis at 34 minutes, the underdogs started their aggression, slowly choking out the champions on the map. Tundra tried their best, but the team had no answers for the late-game Naga Siren. Eventually, at 48 minutes, they tapped out from game 1.
Game 2
Entity Midlaner, Stormstormer.Both teams had similar drafts in game 2. The defending champions had Alchemist as their safelaner, while the underdogs had a safelane Terrorblade. Not wanting to give Alchemist a free game, Entity played aggressively from the start of the game.
They dominated their lanes, scouted camp stacks, and forced Alchemist out of his jungle. Meanwhile, their safelaner pushed out the lanes and secured a safe farm on the map.
Losing at every turn, Tundra tried their best to stall the game, but a misfortunate initiation cost them the match and their title as Entity took the game at 42 minutes.
Inconsistency
Entity Kataomi after their defeat against Virtus Pro at The International 2023.Credits: Valve
Entity had inconsistent results throughout the season. However, before The International qualifiers, they had a roster shuffle to gain more consistent results.
The decision yielded great success as they qualified for The International and even eliminated the defending champions from the tournament.
However, their inconsistency continued in the following series against Virtus Pro. Virtus Pro took a clean series and eliminated them.
Despite their elimination, Entity proved their potential by eliminating the defending champions. With two teams getting eliminated, only six teams remained at The International 2023.
The finals weekend will start on 27th October at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. The grand finals will be on 29th October.
Featured Image Source: Valve
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