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Topson after victory over Team Falcons:"Luna outscales any hero right now"
In a closely contested series, Tundra Esports secured a 2-0 victory over Team Falcons, pushing them to the lower bracket in a tense matchup. Both games were competitive, but Tundra’s superior execution gave them the edge.
After the match Tundra's midlaner, Topias "Topson" Taavitsainen, reflected on the series and looked ahead to their potential next opponents, either Cloud9 or Team Liquid.
On the first day of The International 2024 playoffs, Tundra Esports and Team Falcons delivered a fierce contest and quickly became a highlight. Falcons entered the series as favorites, fueled by their stellar performance throughout the year and a dominant head-to-head record, having won six of their seven encounters with Tundra over the past year.
However, Tundra defied expectations, showing exceptional preparation and strategic brilliance to turn the tide and claim an impressive win.
Game 1: Tundra’s Night Stalker Surprise Shakes Team Falcons
Game one saw Tundra surprise everyone with an unconventional offlane pick for Roman "RAMZES666" Kushnarev—Night Stalker, a hero that hadn't been seen much at The International. The choice proved to be brilliant, as Night Stalker worked perfectly against Falcons’ core picks, including Monkey King and Puck. Team Falcons struggled to adjust, finding themselves caught off guard by the Night Stalker’s dominance during nighttime.
Despite the game being close, with Tundra holding only a slim 2k net worth lead for much of the match, their tactical execution around the Night Stalker’s strengths during night time made all the difference. Tundra’s calculated aggression and disciplined team play secured them the first victory of the series.
Game 2: A Late-Game Thriller
The second game began cautiously, with both teams opting for a farm-heavy approach, avoiding team fights. Tundra’s strategy revolved around maximizing farm for Luna, while Team Falcons seemed content to bide their time as well.
As the game transitioned into the mid-to-late phase, the tempo shifted dramatically. Team fights became chaotic and unpredictable, with each team taking turns seizing momentum. The turning point arrived at the 60-minute mark in a jaw-dropping clash near Falcons’ ancient stacks. Tundra lost a pivotal fight, with their carry out of the game and no buyback available. It seemed as though Falcons had an opening to close out the game.
However, Topson’s quick decision-making on Invoker turned the tide. Utilizing his buyback, he delayed the Falcons' advance just long enough for Luna to respawn. This clever maneuver kept Tundra's hopes alive, allowing them to regroup and ultimately take the game in a breathtaking finale.
Topson Shares Thoughts on Luna and Tundra’s Game Plan
During the post-match interview, Topson shared his thoughts on the team’s approach to Game 2. He admitted that the game began at a slow pace, but highlighted a key moment when they decided to adjust their strategy midway through.
"I feel like we were hunting them in a way for the first 20 minutes, but then we had one bad fight and we figured they were pretty strong and that we should slow it down since eventually our line up should beat theirs. We had Luna and Elder titan and Luna turns out to be very unbalanced and kinda outscales any hero in the game right now."
Tundra’s victory over Team Falcons was an important win, especially given their prior struggles against this formidable opponent. Topson reflected on their past encounters, expressing how crucial this win was for the team.
"Lately we have lost to falcons all our officials and there's.. I think only one time we beat them in the first round which was at Birmingham in the upper bracket, like now, same story happened. We look up to them as one of the best teams, so it's a huge win for us"
With this victory, Tundra advances further in the upper bracket, but their journey to lift the Aegis of Champions is far from over. Their next challenge will come from the winner of the highly anticipated match between Cloud9 and Team Liquid. Both teams are in excellent form and considered title contenders.
When asked which team he would prefer to face, Topson didn’t hesitate.
"I mean we'd rather face Cloud9 of course, we have been beating them consistently, this tournament we went against them 1-1 in the group stage. I mean both are very strong teams, but we'd rather play against Cloud9"
READ MORE: Nouns sends Team Spirit to the Lower Bracket at TI13
Featured Image Source: Valve
