‘European Dota is looking strong as usual’: Sneyking and Tundra Esports on TI11 and unique hero selections

With the Western European Dota 2 region taking the Last Chance Qualifier spots, WEU became the most represented region in the International 2022 with six teams. Despite each European squad featuring players from around the world, TI11 showcases that they have achieved excellent team chemistry, four of them securing upper-bracket slots.

After the transition from mudgolems to Tundra Esports, fans were curious about how the team would continue to perform in the 2021/2022 DPC season without their former captain, Fata. Tundra Esports proved themselves right from the beginning and placed in the top four of division one in each tour. In an interview with esports.gg, the European powerhouse went over their hero and their region’s current stance in the global arena.

While Western European teams were able to dominate the Last Chance Qualifiers, Tundra’s captain, Sneyking, said that he would have also loved to see Topson and ana make it to TI11. The American support added that he loved the LCQ since it gave great teams a decent chance of making it to TI. Sneyking also mentioned that he would like to see TI return to its former timeline when it was held in August. The event was moved to October after it had to move from Sweden to Romania on short notice in 2021.

TI11’s current meta is almost settled, with the same heroes picked or banned in every match. Sneyking, on the other hand, believes that there are few heroes in the pool that haven’t been utilized and reached their full potential. Tundra’s captain would like to see more Techies, and “high-skill cap heroes” like Earth Spirit and Invoker.

Considering how these three heroes can enhance viewers’ experience by making games more exciting and action-packed, Sneyking’s desire to see them more on the main stage only makes sense. While he didn’t mention anything about the three being in their plans, Techies was seen in TI5 finals as the hero was picked for Tundra’s current coach, Aui_2000, while he was playing for EG.

Visage, Mirana, and Gyrocopter have been solid picks for Tundra, but they haven’t seen a great pick rate by the other teams in TI11. “I think it’s more beneficial for us, for sure.” Sneyking said. “The less the enemies know about how to play against us, the better for us.”

Tundra also has high win rates with other out-of-meta heroes like Grimstroke and Abbadon. Sneyking believes that these two names are overlooked, and they possess unique strong dispels, which are rare in Dota 2, making them valuable additions to their drafts.

From their picks to playstyle, Tundra had an excellent DPC season, and their coach Aui_2000 agrees. “I think that any season that leads to directly qualifying for TI is a good season.” Aui said, “But, I think the overall player and team development that happened this year makes this season even stronger.”

Though the group stages just ended at TI11, the main event is about to begin and Tundra are matched with another European squad, OG. The match will kick off on Oct. 20, 9pm CT. The winner of Tundra-OG will face the victors of the Team Liquid-Aster match, meaning the next round could feature another European clash in TI11’s main event.