After signaling a roster change for months, Tundra Esports took a bold gamble swapping out seasoned support player Martin “Saksa” Sazdov for legendary two-time TI champion, Topias “Topson” Taavitsainen. While the decision sparked excitement among Dota 2 fans worldwide, not everyone is a believer.
Team Liquid’s miCKe voiced his reservations with the move in a recent interview with esports.gg. During the interview, miCKe suggested that this dramatic role swap, with Leon “Nine” Kirilin filling Saksa’s former support position, might not unfold as seamlessly as some hope.
“I think it’s definitely going to take some time because when you have a core player switching to support, it’s not going to be so smooth,” miCKe commented when asked about his thoughts regarding Tundra’s new lineup.
The talented core player emphasized Saksa’s overall skill level as a position four and the challenge Nine may face in achieving the same level of efficiency, despite his undeniable talent. Nine spent the majority of his career as a mid laner, and he’s been considered as one of the best in his role. While some of his skill will transition to his new role, Saksa had almost a decade worth of experience as a support.
While similar role swaps occurred in the past, they have become less common in recent years. In Nine’s case, the player had already started practicing his role in early August. Additonally, Tundra and Topson are dominating Dota 2 scrims as well, so the TI-winning organization may have already figured out a winning formula.
Fortunately, Dota 2 fans won’t have to wait until The International 2023 to watch the new Tundra roster in action since they will make their debut in DreamLeague Season 21, a $1 million prize pool tournament. OG will also play with a new addition during this event, as it also made a huge Dota 2 roster move, bringing back a legendary player on loan.
