For the third year in a row, Tundra Esports enters The International (TI) with a twist to its line-up. Support player Matthew ‘Whitemon�Filemon will miss the stage in Hamburg after late visa issues cut his trip short. In his place, Austrian offlaner Tobias ‘Tobi�Buchner steps in, tasked with holding the line when it matters most.

The move brings both doubt and hope to fans who know how slim the margins are at this level. Tobi has shown form with past squads and now gets his shot on the world’s top stage. 

A pattern emerges: Tundra's third consecutive TI with a stand-in

Tundra’s path to TI often comes with last-minute team shifts. In 2023, Martin ‘Saksa�Sazdov had to step back for health, and Topias ‘Topson�Taavitsainen came in. That run saw the squad fall short, ending in 13th�6th place.

The following year, Edgar �Class�Naltakian was held back by visa rules, which brought Saksa back to the line-up. His return pushed Tundra to 3rd place, a sharp rise that proved they could still fight at the top.

A seasoned replacement amidst uncertainty

Tobi has played for top squads like Team Liquid and Entity, and he’s no new face on the big stage. His most recent win came in July at the FISSURE Universe: Episode 5, where he showed sharp form. That boost gives Tundra hope, even with Whitemon’s late step out.

The preparation time has been short, yet Tobi has spent the last days grinding with the team. The swap brings risk, but it also adds calm and skill from a vet who’s played at the peak. Fans now wait to see if this change sparks Tundra’s run or slows their push.

The road to Hamburg: Overcoming logistical hurdles

Whitemon’s visa snag has forced him to sit out TI 2025, a blow that shows how hard travel rules can hit pro play. Such issues are not rare, as many teams have faced the same roadblock when they cross lands to join key bouts. It’s a stark sign that preps off the map can shape what fans see on stage.

Tundra made clear their thanks to Tobi, who jumped in at short notice to fill the slot. The squad now aims to blend fast and keep their run on track. The mood in camp is calm yet firm, as they set sights on Hamburg with one eye on the prize.

Can adaptability lead to triumph?

As TI 2025 nears, the squad faces one more trial on their path. For the third year in a row, they play with a sub, which has sparked talk of a ‘stand-in curse.�How they cope with this swap may set the pace for their run in Hamburg.

Fans and foes will watch if the squad can stay sharp with less prep. Each game will press them to blend fast and strike with a clear plan. In the end, the key mark will be if grit and skill can lift them past the curse and deep into the event.

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Topias ‘Topson�Taavitsainen has returned to Dota 2 after months of break. The two-time The International (TI) champion went inactive in September 2024, with plans to retire after he placed third at TI 2024 with Tundra Esports. Months later, he’s also reported to have served his mandatory military service.

Since then, fans have been eagerly awaiting his return. He made his comeback on Monday, July 21, through a casual Twitch stream. He posted this announcement on his X (formerly Twitter) account. However, fans were already seeing signs of his return two months back when his ranked matches appeared on Dota 2 tracking sites like Dotabuff. 

Topson’s return has sparked fresh excitement in the Dota 2 community. Many hoped this was a lead-up to a full return to the pro scene.

Will Topson return to Dota 2 pro?

Despite the buzz, Topson has made it clear that his comeback is limited to casual play and streaming. Back in September, after the TI 2024, Tundra Esports announced his retirement from pro play.

In his comeback stream, fans were quick to ask him about his plans, to which he easily addressed by saying he has no plans to return. ‘Nope, not joining any team. Career is over,�he said.

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BLAST Slam III was another big event on the Dota 2 esports calendar, with plenty of teams vying for the title. It was Tundra Esports who came away with the victory, which marks their second-straight victory at a BLAST Slam event after they won the second edition in February 2025. 

It was their third overall tournament win as they also won FISSURE Playground 1 in February. This has been a strong year for Tundra, as they continue their momentum into The International season, Dota 2’s biggest event, which will be held in September 2025 in Germany.

A masterful win for Tundra

The final was between Tundra and Team Falcons. It ended in four games, as people saw Tundra win the first two matches of the best-of-five series. Falcons tried to claw their way back with a Game 3 win, but it was not enough to stop Tundra from winning Game 4 and the event. 

Bozhidar ‘bzm�Bogdanov stood out in the series for Tundra, as he used Beastmaster and Invoker to their peak potential. It was a strong performance from everyone at Tundra, which cements them at the top of European Dota 2.

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Team Spirit emerged victorious in the DreamLeague Season 25 after defeating Tundra Esports during the league’s grand finals for 3-2 on Tuesday, March 4, 2025. This victory marks the organisation’s first trophy of 2025, and Team Spirit is ready to shoot for more before the year ends. 

The winning team took home $290,000 (£225,941) in reward money and 4,620 ESL Pro Tour points, making a total of 8,040 points. This league win helped them climb up to 2nd rank just below PARIVISION with 10,845 points. 

During the league, the Russian esports team was one of the top choices for the trophy as they dominated their opponents during the Group Stage. They were the only team to remain unbeaten as their score concluded in 5 wins, 2 draws, and 0 losses. 

The 2 draws happened during their match with Team Liquid on February 18, 2025, and Yakult’s Brothers on February 20, 2025. The grand finals of Team Spirit versus Tundra Esports also became the most-watched match of the tournament. 

The team’s journey before the victory

Before their decisive match with the Tundra Esports, they had to defeat 5 top teams in the Group Stage first. 

They had to face the current ESL Pro Tour leaderboard top scorer, PARIVISION. The match ended in a 2-0 sweep, with Team Spirit coming out on top. During their match with Chimera Esports, they had a close game that ended in 2-1 in favour of Team Spirit. 

The organisation’s match with AVULUS, BOOM Esports, and Gaimin Gladiators all led to clean wins, with all three matches ending in 2-0. 

This win by Team Spirit did not come without any hardships as they encountered ‘DDoS attacksâ€?during their first match up with Tundra Esports on Monday, March 3, 2025. 

Team Spirit players Magomed ‘Collapse�Khalilov and Denis ‘Larl�Sigitov experienced issues 18 minutes into the match as they received massive amounts of party invites, chats, and other distractions for �00 times per second.�Collapse recalled, ‘Dota was simply crushed because of the number of requests.�nbsp;

This led to a delay in the match, which was then rescheduled to continue the next day. Fans were sceptical about the claims, saying they were ‘delaying the game on purpose,â€?but the DreamLeague tournament organisers made their decision based on what they saw fit in the current situation. 

Team Spirit has expressed its side and stated on X (formerly Twitter) that a ‘vulnerability inside Steam/Dota 2�was to blame for the DDoS attack.

After the delay, the game resumed on March 4, 2025. The heat of the battle never died as Team Spirit and Tundra Esports competed for the top. The tournament ended with Team Spirit with 3 points and Tundra Esports with 2 points. 

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Team Spirit snatched the DreamLeague Season 25 title with a 3-2 win over Tundra Esports. The intense series showcased standout plays, notably from TSpirit captain and two-time Internationals champ Yaroslav ‘Miposhka�Naidenov, whose Jakiro play was crucial in the final game.

TSpirit received a total grand prize of $290,000 and 4,620 ESL Pro Tour (EPT) points that secured them a direct invite to Riyadh Masters 2025. This win also ended their 10-month dry spell since the 1win Series Dota 2 Summer in June 2024. 

The grand finals saw a push-and-pull battle, with Tundra initially taking the lead. However, Team Spirit responded with strong teamwork and strategic plays. Miposhka’s Jakiro dominated in the last bit, which helped his team turn the odds in their favour and secure the title.

However, the finals did not go as smoothly as planned. The supposed finals match on March 2 was moved to March 4. A series of distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks targeted TSpirit players, causing a two-day delay.

Meanwhile, after winning back-to-back victories at Fissure Playground #1 and BLAST Slam II, Tundra’s winning streak has ended. The team placed second with a $130,000 cash prize and 3,920 EPT points. 

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