The International 2022, often known as TI 11, had its grand finals during the previous weekend in Singapore. The biggest Dota 2 tournament of the year often has the highest prize pool as well, although this year’s edition didn’t exactly continue the pattern of steadily increasing prize pools. In any case, this year’s tournament nonetheless witnessed the pooling of close to US$19 million. And UK-based Tundra Esports received the largest payout for winning, amounting to over US$8.5 million.
The squad defeated rival top challenger Team Secret 3-0 with a rather comfortable victory as well. In all three of the games, Tundra demonstrated their extensive hero pool, which provided them the advantage over their opponents’ choices and bans throughout the drafting stages.
ONE Esports through Valve, Tundra Esports TI 11 2.
According to ONE Esports, a lot of the squad members consider this victory for Tundra to be a key turning point. Leon “Nine” Kirilin, a midlaner, and Oliver “skiter,” a carry, became “royal roaders”—players who placed first in their first The International Entry—after winning TI 11. The previous time The International grand final finished in a clean sweep was in TI 7, therefore this is the second time it has happened.
In addition to esports, Valve used the occasion to reveal a new Hero character for Dota 2. Due to the closeness of both the festival and The International 2022 tournament to Halloween, the persona known as Muerta clearly draws influence from the Mexican Day of the Dead holiday. For reference, November 1 and 2 are historically observed as Day of the Dead holidays.
There isn’t much information about Muerta other than her name and appearance, therefore it’s difficult to predict what kind of character she will be in Dota 2. For what it’s worth, Valve claims that she will launch in early 2023, and the corporation is probably going to slowly reveal additional details about her in the meantime.
