Opinion: Tundra’s TI14 Elimination Leaves Lessons to Learn

Despite starting the year as one of the best teams in the world, Tundra Esports have exited The International 2025 in a disappointing 7th-8th place finish, displaying what I thought was a very underwhelming performance for a team of such calibre. But what happened to the squad we all knew and loved?

No Whitemon, No Party

Tundra are no strangers to playing with stand-ins, having gone through a handful of replacements throughout the year. With Whitemon failing to secure a flight to Hamburg, the team was forced to bring in Tobi as a last-minute slot filler. 

According to Coach MoonMeander in a post-draft interview during TI14, the team had only one hour to decide which replacement to go for, and Tobi was selected due to his satisfactory tenure substituting for Insania on Team Liquid. 

However, most of Tundra’s replacements over 2025 have been their carry player. Their support duo of Saksa and Whitemon have stayed constant, and losing the latter in the biggest event of the year has to be a massive blow. Not to throw shade on the stand-in, but it’s clear that Tundra’s early game rotations have not looked anything close to their other matches this year. I understand that replacing arguably the best position five player in the world is no easy task. 

Additionally, Whitemon has always been that “good vibes” kind of guy, and without him, Tundra felt like they were forcing a lot of impulsive plays. We can’t hear their comms but from the outside, it really seemed like the team atmosphere just wasn’t there. 

Bzm, We Gotta Stop With this Holy Locket

Bzm has definitely looked like Tundra’s best player over the year, and the same can be said at this event. I’m just going to have to call him out on this Holy Locket shenanigans on Storm Spirit.

Sure, I get that the item looks pretty solid, but he’s been buying it as his first item in every Storm Spirit game he’s played. Of three matches, he’s won none. The item just feels too slow, and when you have a greedy offlaner who is buying Helm of the Dominator in most games, there’s just nobody making plays if your mid-laner has this item. 

In the first game of the Lower Bracket series against Heroic, bzm went for Holy Locket again. I don’t usually backseat pros, but I believe an early Orchid would have been the best choice. He’s playing against an Ursa and has a Tiny that can provide the magic burst to maximize the Soul Burn damage. Even an early Witch Blade would have been better. Combine this itemization with the lack of support chemistry, and the early to mid-game for Tundra has been disastrous. 

We’re Just Not Looking Like a Team

Even as a Tundra fan, I have to admit they just haven’t looked like a cohesive unit. Their moves and executions are all over the place, and too often they seem unsure whether to fully commit or disengage. From a spectator’s point of view, the comms look off – either they’re not on the same page, or the confidence just isn’t there.

Overall, the entire squad has been underperforming. The 33 and Saksa duo didn’t look as dominant as we’re used to seeing, and even though I’m a huge Crystallis fan, he definitely had his fair share of questionable decisions. 

Love them or hate them, Tundra didn’t look like themselves, and seeing them limp out of TI14 in this fashion leaves a sour note. This early exit feels like a letdown for a roster with a three-time hopeful.