Dota 2 veteran MinD_ContRoL kicked from Tundra mid-tournament

MinD_ContRoL, an iconic Dota 2 offlaner, was kicked from his new team, Tundra Esports, minutes before a DreamLeague Season 22 match against Shopify Rebellion.

The match between Tundra and SR faced a brief delay, and the shockwaves of MinD_ContRoL’s departure spread rapidly when he disclosed on X (formerly Twitter) that Tundra ejected him from the roster during the ongoing tournament.

This unexpected development shocked the Dota 2 community, especially considering MinD_ContRoL had only joined Tundra a month prior, on Jan. 8. To fill the void left by the departure, Tundra enlisted Vladislav “laise” Lais, a former NAVI member and a top 200-ranked player on the Dota 2 leaderboards, as their new offlaner for the match.

Though the dust has yet to settle, the rumor mills have been spinning non-stop. On Feb. 23, Tundra appointed retired offlaner Ludwig “Zai” Wåhlberg as their general manager. Given Zai’s offlane background, fans are curious about his potential involvement in MinD_ContRoL’s removal.

While other organizations like Team Secret are joking about the situation with memes, MinD_ContRoL recently shared how he missed his old teammates in an AFK Gaming interview. The former Nigma offlaner was excited for a new challenge, but his lingering ties to the past could potentially have played a role in Tundra’s abrupt decision. MinD_ContRoL left Nigma in 2024, hoping for something new in his Dota 2 career. Though the veteran player had been away from the spotlight in Nigma, his skill only sharpened further behind the scenes. Unfortunately for him, though, his first stint away from his long-time home came to a sudden end.

This news is currently developing, and neither party has made official statements. Dot Esports reached out to Tundra Esports, but as of now, there has been no response from the organization.

Update Feb. 26 10:01am CT: During a guest appearance on Gorgc’s livestream, MinD_ContRoL shared insights into the internal dynamics of Tundra. He claimed his captain role was taken by Pure, the Tundra CEO imposed Moonmeander as the coach against the MinD_ContRoL’s wishes, and he was against Zai becoming the player-manager, another decision he said was forced upon him. Feeling overwhelmed by what he perceived as excessive interference, MinD_ContRoL presented an ultimatum to Tundra which didn’t result in his favor.