Tundra Esports avenge their TI13 defeat to Gaimin Gladiators
The playoffs of BetBoom Dacha Belgrade 2024 have begun, and despite a couple of technical difficulties, the first set of quarterfinal series were thrilling. One of the most anticipated matchups of the day was the rematch of The International 2024 lower bracket finals: Gaimin Gladiators versus Tundra Esports.
Both teams had new faces on their rosters since their last encounter at TI, with Tundra having made more significant changes. Gaimin won their previous meeting, but this time, Tundra claimed revenge. Neta "33" Shapira, one of the new players on Tundra’s revamped lineup, had also bested Gaimin at TI13—but with a different team.
After the series, Tundra's support player, Matthew "Whitemon" Filemon, gave a little insight into how this revamped version of the team functions.
Whitemon's Tusk forced a deciding game
Gaimin Gladiators had a deadball line-up in the first game, allowing them to take the lead in the series. The second game, however, was much more back and forth.
While Tundra won the laning stage, Gaimin punished their aggression in the midgame, creating a significant snowball opportunity for GG.
As the game progressed, Gaimin made several mistakes while trying to counter Tundra's split-pushing. Their most critical misplay came at 45 minutes when they attempted to force Roshan without enough damage or map control.
Tundra Esports caught them off guard with a Smoke of Deceit and punished them, taking one of GG's key objectives to close out the game. But at 52 minutes, Gaimin found a glimmer of hope when Tundra’s safelane Gyrocopter was caught out of position with a Divine Rapier.
However, Whitemon on Tusk reacted quickly, using Snowball to save his safelaner. With Gyrocopter no longer in chain lockdown, Tundra turned the skirmish in their favour. With three of GG’s heroes down and only one buyback remaining, Tundra secured the victory a minute later.
33 stepped up in the third game
In the deciding game, Gaimin dictated the tempo early on with a strong laning stage victory. However, Tundra fought hard to find an opening. At 25 minutes, they finally got one as Gaimin overstayed their welcome after taking a lane of barracks. With excellent kiting from 33’s offlane Visage, Tundra forced a favourable skirmish in the Radiant jungle, cutting down Gaimin's lead.
Never let this guy get his hands on Visage. (Credits: PGL)At 28 minutes, more clever manoeuvring from 33 caused three of Gaimin’s heroes to overextend, resulting in another skirmish win for Tundra. Capitalizing on this victory, Tundra quickly secured Roshan and took a lane of Gaimin’s barracks. With their net worth lead and lane pressure, Tundra claimed another set of barracks at 36 minutes.
Gladiators took a chance 39 minutes, as their safelane Shadow Fiend attempted a rat strategy. However, Tundra’s offlane Bristleback killed two of Gaimin’s heroes, forcing them back to base.
Tundra quickly bought back and punished the Shadow Fiend for the desperate play. At 42 minutes, Gaimin conceded the match, giving the series to Tundra.
Whitemon could be the best SEA player in the professional scene
Gaimin Gladiators have been one of the most dominant teams in recent years. The two teams had met several times in the past, with Gaimin winning their most recent three encounters.
Whitemon at The International 2024 group stages. (Credits: Valve)This series also highlighted that Whitemon is one of the best SEA players in the professional scene, known for his expertise in saving supports. In the second game of the series, he made a clutch play that helped his team force a deciding game against GG.
Now, with a two-time TI champion on his team, Tundra came out on top once again. In his post-game interview, Whitemon expressed content with the outcome of the series.
"Feeling good, finally we can won against Gaimin. I learn a lot from Neta. I think the TI meta still haven't changed – it's still the same. So, I'm still playing the same heroes and I think it's just the OP heroes for our team."
Whitemon reflects on the difference between SEA and EU servers
Matthew is a native of the SEA server, but he has been playing on EU servers for a couple of years now because of his teams.
Matthew "Whitemon" Filemon. (Credits: PGL)In his post-game interview, Whitemon talked about the differences between the two servers and what he has learned from his European teammates. He also expressed his fondness for the EU servers as communication often lacks in SEA servers.
"I learned a lot. The bigger picture is like the map movement and anything – the comms also; something like that. So, yeah, I think I learned a lot from Europe. I would like to stay in Europe."
With their victory, Tundra Esports advanced to the upper bracket semifinals of BetBoom Dacha 2024, where they will face the BetBoom Team. Gaimin, on the other hand, now has their backs against the wall as they prepare to face Aurora in the upcoming lower bracket series.
Featured Image Source:Valve
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